Publications /
Research Paper

Back
Security Implications of Axes Rivalry in the Middle East
Authors
Dania Koleilat Khatib
December 11, 2020

The Arab Spring led to the collapse of dictatorships that ruled the region for decades, creating a void that triggered increased rivalry between three axes seeking to expand influence and control in the region. Using the theoretical framework of ‘offensive realism’ developed by Mearsheimer, this paper analyzes the build-up and circumstances surrounding the intensification of the rivalry between Qatar/Turkey, Saudi Arabia/the UAE and Iran and how this rivalry has become a major driver behind conflicts in the region.

RELATED CONTENT

  • July 1, 2020
    Sur fond d’accusations mutuelles d’absence de volonté politique pour faire aboutir les négociations tripartites impliquant l’Egypte, l’Ethiopie et le Soudan, sur la mise en service du “Grand Barrage de la Renaissance Éthiopienne”  (Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam -GERD), l’Egypte et l’Ethiopie continuent d’alterner des signaux de provocation et d’apaisement. Cette tension gagne en intensité au fur et à mesure que s’approche le mois de juillet, marquant le début du remplissage du ba ...
  • Authors
    Youssef Eddazi
    June 30, 2020
    Russia is trying to gain a foothold in Africa via subversion and disinformation tactics. Under the leadership of President Vladimir Putin, Russia increased its interference in Africa by sending mercenaries to show force as opposed to making direct security interventions. At the same time, Russia struck arms deals and plans to expand its military presence. Russia also used social and broadcast media to support national leaders and other actors involved in conflicts. Although Russia’s ...
  • April 29, 2020
    La transition politique de l’Égypte, depuis 2011, a été tout aussi turbulente que sa transition économique. Tous les efforts de l’Egypte post-Moubarak se sont articulés autour de la relance économique, la stabilisation macroéconomique et politique et du renforcement de la sécurité interne du pays. Suite à l’accord avec le Fonds monétaire international (FMI), en 2016, l’Egypte a mené plusieurs réformes économiques qui ont, pu relancer la croissance économique et donner des résultats ...
  • Authors
    April 14, 2020
    Parallèlement à l’apparition du Covid-19 au début de l’année en cours, les différents foyers de tensions et de guerres ont vu se développer, entre les belligérants, des escalades dangereuses qui menacent la paix et la sécurité dans le monde. Du Yémen au Sahel, en passant par la Syrie et la Libye, le monde voyait les chances de retrouver la sérénité et la quiétude s’évaporer avec les tirs de mortiers, les raids aériens, les attaques de drones et le renforcement des lignes de fronts e ...
  • Authors
    April 2, 2020
    On January 24, 2020, the Bana, a freighter, left the Turkish port of Mersin. Its destination was the Tunisian harbor of Gabes. It was a routine trip, until its transponder was deactivated and the ship disappeared from the radar. No mayday was received; the boat vanished like a ghost. Four days later a satellite observed three dots approaching Tripoli, Libya and when the images were enlarged, it became clear that the Bana was on a secret mission, since she was shadowed by two Turkish ...
  • Authors
    January 30, 2020
    Increasingly, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) strengthens its position within the Arab region that is of strong geopolitical attributes. There has never been as much diplomatic and military activism in the UAE’s history as in the last decade. Such a situation raises major questions about the nature and the impact of the new strategic extension of the country. This article aims at discussing the determinants and objectives of the new strategic positioning of the UAE. A special focus w ...
  • Authors
    January 20, 2020
    Le 3 octobre 2016, la Turquie a déposé une plainte contre le Maroc devant l’Organisation Mondiale du Commerce (OMC) au sujet des mesures antidumping appliquées par le Maroc contre les exportations turques en Acier laminé à chaud.1 Suite à l’échec des consultations entre les deux pays, la Turquie a demandé, le 12 janvier 2017, l’établissement d’un groupe spécial pour examiner la conformité des mesures prises par le Maroc avec le droit de l’OMC. Demande qui marque le passage du litige ...
  • January 17, 2020
    The drone strike that claimed the life of Iranian general Qasem Soleimani unmasks the limits of so-called "hybrid" – or "asymmetric" – strategies. These low-intensity military operations, conducted through unofficial paramilitary forces, are supposed to allow a weaker state to gain geopolitical advantages without risking an open war with a stronger one. The idea is to gradually accumulate small tactical victories by capitalizing on more powerful states’ lack of appetite for distant ...
  • Authors
    January 15, 2020
    “The Nightmare we feared has arrived” Death was late because the departure time of the plane was delayed. But death arrived- six minutes after takeoff from Tehran’s “Imam Khomeini International Airport. It was still dark, 6.12 hours’ local time, when flight 752 of “Ukraine International Airlines” took course toward Kyiv, the Ukraine capital three hours and fourty two minutes away. The Boeing 737 800 NG had reached 2400 meters, when the American military’s “Space Based Infrared Syst ...