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Emergence of a potential alliance among Middle Eastern nations towards achieving sovereignty?

Controversy escalates regarding a potential Mid-Eastern union for sovereignty, as geopolitical divisions evolve from ideological matters towards state competence amid chaotic aftermath of October 7 events

Emerging Alliance in the Middle East Seeks Nationhood Recognition
Emerging Alliance in the Middle East Seeks Nationhood Recognition

Emergence of a potential alliance among Middle Eastern nations towards achieving sovereignty?

The Middle East is experiencing a significant shift, moving away from traditional ideological divides and towards a focus on the struggle between weak and strong states. This transformation is marked by the growing emphasis on strong central governments as a means to achieve stability and connectivity in the region.

Israel's strategic vision has long been to be surrounded by weak states incapable of challenging its power. However, the ongoing conflicts in Syria, Iran, Lebanon, Yemen, and Gaza have called this assumption into question. The Middle East could see a shift towards a focus on strong statehood as a counterweight to forces of fragmentation.

Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, with tacit support from Israel, sought to restore the status quo. However, their efforts have been met with resistance from regional powers such as Iran, which has been expanding its influence through proxy networks.

Turkey and Qatar, on the other hand, backed revolutionary forces during the Arab uprisings. Their policies suggest a growing emphasis on strong central governments as a means to achieve stability and connectivity. Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030 and Turkey's policy of "regional responsibility" prioritize strong central governments as the key to regional stability and connectivity.

The Abraham Accords, once hailed as a breakthrough in regional politics, have also been called into question by the escalating conflicts. The answers regarding the emergence of such an alliance for statehood are not yet clear.

The West, including the United States, the European Union, and its member states, have historically supported the strengthening of central governments, such as in Iraq and Afghanistan. However, their approach has been ambivalent, with the US working with the Kurdish autonomous region in Syria but not with the Syrian central government under Assad.

Russia, too, has been actively supporting the Syrian central government under Assad, viewing this as part of its regional influence strategy and a counterbalance to the West. China, while pursuing a cautious but increasing engagement in the Middle East, supports the strengthening of central governments to secure stability for its energy imports and infrastructure projects.

Iran, meanwhile, undermines central governments to expand its network of proxies across the Levant. Its goal is to create a protective shield against Israel and the US, thus defining regional stability in line with its own security interests.

In conclusion, the support for strong central governments in the Middle East is a contentious but central element of regional stability politics. While each actor, including Western countries, Russia, Iran, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and China, pursues its own interests, the long-term sustainability of this policy remains uncertain, especially in the face of local conflicts, weak state structures, and external influence.

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