By Mr. Sameh Selim: Strategic Geography of the Middle East

Mr. Sameh Selim

Strategic Geography of the Middle East

By Mr. Sameh Selim

In light of complex geography, the tense atmosphere grows in the Middle East region, which contains, in its diverse and complex geographic curves and terrain, great secrets for the world and a very complex and overlapping strategic importance. The importance comes from maritime and air transport through the airspace of the countries in this region or its coasts and territorial waters in the middle of the globe.

The location of the Middle East region in the middle of the world map gives it the utmost importance to the world, even if they are small countries that do not have political or military weight or they are countries with a large area that control large airspace or territorial waters with a large marine area. This region also has important natural treasures and resources. Economic importance, in addition to its strategic and military importance, is that it controls the global straits and sea lanes through which most of the world’s trade, gas, and oil pass to global markets, such as the Strait of Hormuz located in the Arabian Gulf region between Iran and the Gulf states, the Bab al-Mandab Strait on the Red Sea between Yemen and Djibouti, and the Suez Canal in Egypt. Which connects the Red and Mediterranean Seas, the Bosphorus Strait and the Dardanelles in Turkey, and the Strait of Gibraltar between Morocco and Spain. The importance of air transport is also no less important than maritime transport. There are Arab and non-Arab countries that control vast areas, such as Algeria, Libya, Turkey, and Egypt, and on the other side, Syria, Iraq, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and Iran, and I point out this. The point is to countries with large areas that control the large airspace for civil aviation traffic and travel to the world through their airspace. If one of these countries closes its airspace for any reason, there will be huge losses to global air transport through its territory.

Despite all of the above, we have explained that this region is the tensest and conflict-ridden region in the world, which must be safe and stable because it is the world’s geo-strategic center for maritime and air transport.