The Overshadowed Global Importance of the Middle East Region

The Middle East has always been the center of attention due to its problems and economic importance to the world. The roots of various civilizations, of great importance in history, since ancient times, are concentrated in this region. Meeting place and misunderstanding of cultures, languages, religions. Home of radical Islam, which is considered dangerous by Westerners in the region. It is a natural land bridge that connects the continents of Asia, Africa and Europe. Submerged in conflict, devastation, poverty, and at the same time possessor of enormous natural resources, such as oil, which have made the Middle East more important than ever worldwide.

It is necessary to clearly define the scope of what is meant by ' Middle East ' and how this term is used in existing literature and in academic circles. In general, the various problems arise when looking for an adequate definition of this concept, mainly due to its breadth, since it implies geographic, human, ethnic, political, religious and physical concepts. This in fact means that, in addition to the obvious complexity, there are a variety of definitions depending on interests, approach or unscientific considerations. In this sense, there are three observations that can be mentioned before starting to analyze the definitions. The first is that the term ' Middle East' it is Eurocentric, which is why it refers to a vision and a concept established by Western powers regarding the nature of the region. The second refers to the fact that the term comes from a military context, therefore, it refers to both local populations and Western powers, in particular during the First World War. Finally, the third, taking into account the previous observations, from the descriptive point of view, the ´Middle East´ is not an objective term, like Central Asia, Western Europe and Eastern Africa, but subjective. Thus, the term ' Middle East ' is not “a paradigm-founder, but a paradigm-dependent”, and can be modified from different perspectives and at different junctures .  

Geography

In 1902, Alfred T. Mahan first used the term 'Middle East' to identify an undefined area around the Persian Gulf. But it was in the late 1930s that the British reinforced the applicability of this designation by using the term ' Middle East Command ' for their military forces in the area, which stretched from the central Mediterranean to the Indian subcontinent. Gradually, the applicability of the term was accepted after the area was under the responsibility of the Middle East Command. In the 1960s, the National Geographic Society titled its map of the area 'Lands of the Eastern Mediterranean'. The official geographical designation of the United States Department of State, responsible for the area, is Near Eastern Affairs (NEA), but the informal use favors the title ' Middle East'. The US military and the CIA, however, have long used the term ' Middle East ' in their public reports. The term ' Middle East' is controversial in the eyes of the public that belongs to the region. For example, Arab nationalists view the term as a label designed to downplay the 'Arab' character of the area, and 'break' the 'Arab homeland' as a distinct unit. Consequently, they have seen the reasoning behind the Western use of the term 'Middle East' in order to present it as an ethnic mosaic, thereby discrediting the reason behind the calls for 'Arab unity'. In an effort to avoid the implication of a Eurocentric perspective, some specialists have sought more objective terminology such as Southwest Asia. For example, Cressey took this issue one step further and claimed the use of the word 'Swasia' as an abbreviation for 'Southwest Asia'.

As Del Río Luelmo argues, the delimitation of this region is almost as delicate as its consideration as a real unit in political-strategic terms. Its geographical limits are even more debatable than its name and it is common to find great variations in this sense from one study to another. While some include Turkey, Afghanistan or Libya, others, on the other hand, do not consider them as part of the Middle East. But for some of the historians of the Middle East, not only Libya but also Sudan and all of North Africa are also included in this definition. There is an appreciable validity in the inclusion of the countries of North Africa, since they have been linked to the Middle East region in many ways, not only during the first years of Islam but also with linguistic aspects, since they speak the same language, as is the case with most states in the Middle East. Cultural and social connections are well known. Although the Middle East is the center of the Islamic kingdom, the 'Muslim world' must be clearly distinguished from the Middle East. However, it must always be remembered that when most people speak of the 'Muslim world' they refer to “a centered conception of the Middle East”. The lands in which Islamic civilization extends much more dominant than in other regions, such as Africa and Asia - Central Asia, with its famous Islamic urban centers of Samarkand, Tashkent, Bukhara and Balkh - were more closely linked to the areas power stations of the Middle East from the 7th to the 18th century. However, Russia's conquest of Central Asia in the late 19th century severed virtually all ties. In this context, the states that emerged after the fall of the Soviet Union (Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and Turkmenistan) have not been categorically included in the current definitions of the Middle East. Considering that there are different definitions of the 'Middle East', depending on where one is located politically, militarily and economically, a study of these definitions reveals that the core of the Middle East is made up of Turkey, Iran, Israel, Egypt and the Arab States. In considering the above, the 'Middle East' will be referred to as: “the area between Libya in the west and Pakistan in the east, Turkey in the north and the Arabian Peninsula in the south”. The area that also includes the Balkans, the recently emerged Muslim States of Central Asia and North Africa, along with Northwest Africa, can be defined as the 'Greater Middle East'.

It is found in the northern and eastern hemispheres, approximately between 13 ° and 370 ° north latitude and 34 ° and 63 ° east longitude, occupying a total area of ​​approximately 9,000,000 square kilometers, with Saudi Arabia being the largest region, and Bahrain the smallest of the states in the Middle East. With a population of approximately 246 million. The most populous are Turkey, Egypt and Iran, each with more than 50 million people, and Bahrain and Qatar, by contrast, have a smaller population of approximately 400,000 each.

The mountain ranges surround the north of the region entirely, while the coastal areas of the eastern Mediterranean extend minor chains of hills and mountains. The Arabian Peninsula, which occupies more than a quarter of the region, is limited by mountainous heights in the west and south. Most of the interior of the region is flat and contains some of the world's most prohibitive deserts, including Libyan, Arab, and the so-called Rub al Khali, or Empity Quarter, of Saudi Arabia.

The Nile, and the Tigris and Euphrates, are the main river systems, the Nile being the longest river in the world, and the soul of Egypt, which is mostly desert. The Tigris and Euphrates rise in Turkey, flow through Syria, and unite in Iraq, forming there the region known as Mesopotamia. Most of the fertile land in the region is delimited by these river valleys, causing them to be the most densely populated areas, and it was here that the first known civilizations emerged thousands of years ago.

For much of the year, warm, dry weather is common, except in the high mountains, where snow is frequent. Between October and April, in most places it is the rainy season. In deserts, the temperature during the day often rises above 52 ° C, while at night it is very cold.

Economy

The availability of water has long been a determining factor in where people would live and how they would earn a living. The power of the Middle East empires depended on water supplies, so it is not surprising that the Nile valleys, and the Tigris and Euphrates rivers were, and continue to be, the main centers of life in the region. Some of the oldest irrigation systems were developed in the Middle East, in fact still in use, many of those systems, along with new ones.

Despite the fact that only 15% of the land is suitable for agriculture, this is still the most important economic activity in the region. The main food crops are wheat, barley and rice. Figs and dates are grown in deserts, while citrus is grown in the Mediterranean coastal region. Coffee, cotton, and tobacco are the main cash crops. Livestock is especially important to the agricultural economy.

The economy of the Middle East was revolutionized with the discovery of vast oil deposits. More than half of the world's known oil reserves are found in this region , although they are not equally distributed. The largest deposits and the main producer and exporter of oil in the world is Saudi Arabia. The other major producers are Iran, Iraq, and the small Persian Gulf state of Kuwait. Furthermore, chromium, coal, sulfur, magnesium and phosphates are exploited mineral resources in the Middle East.

The most industrially developed countries in the region are Turkey, Egypt and Israel. Oil refining, processing of agricultural products, production of textiles, petrochemicals and traditional crafts such as carpet weaving are the main areas of industrial activity.

Religion and Language

In the Middle East, religion and language are considered basic elements in their cultural identity. The three main ethnic groups (Arabs, Turks and Iranians) mark the language of the region. Arabic is the most widely used language, followed by Turkish and finally Persian or Farsi, the language used by the Iranians. Educated people throughout the Middle East speak English or French frequently.

The religion of the Muslims is Islam, whose faith is the predominant one in the Middle East. It is divided into two main branches: the largest, which is Sunni Islam, and Shia Islam, which is found mainly in Iran, Iraq, and Lebanon. Some Arabs practice Christianity, for example in Lebanon, Cyprus and Egypt. While Judaism was the faith of ancient Israel and is the religion of the modern state of Israel. Islam developed as a religious-political movement where religion was part of the state and society. Muslims believe that Islam includes faith and politics is rooted in their divinely revealed book, the Koran, and the example (Sunna) of their founder / prophet, Muhammad, and is therefore reflected in their doctrine, history and politics. The divine mandate of the Qur'an took shape and substance, to some extent under the guidance and direction of God's messenger the Prophet Muhammad.

Religion has caused great conflict in the Middle East and the world. As much as the majority of the Islamist terrorist movements are born within a certain political context and their claims are political, their sources of inspiration and their moral justification are not based on political terms, but on Islamic sources of authority and religious principles. Using these principles, the leaders of these movements have succeeded in motivating the Islamic terrorist, creating a social environment that grants approval and a religious environment that provides moral and legal justification for his actions. Therefore treating Islamic terrorism as an exclusively political and socio-economic phenomenon does not do justice to the meaning of the religious culture in which this phenomenon is rooted. Groups like Al Qaeda, Jihad, Taliban and Hezbollah are some of the terrorist groups, which have caused great damage in the Middle East, and the world.

Politics

Sami Zubaida defines states in the Middle East as 'similar' to western states in the sense that, from the 19th century onward, organizations of this type constituted what he calls the 'mandatory model' for establishing new political units outside Europe, if only because of the lack of an alternative model. The states of the Middle East can be said to be 'modern' in the sense that most of them are based on socio-economic bases that are the result of capitalist development and employ various practices and ways of organizing typical 20th century society. But it is important to note that they emerged under different historical circumstances than in Europe. It is particularly necessary in the Middle East to make a conceptual distinction between state, regime, and government. In relation to the Arab countries, at one end of the spectrum is Egypt with a clear separation between these three elements; on the other are the Gulf countries, where the regime and government are so united that the fall of one would imply the fall of the entire political entity. The other problematic relationship of the states of the Middle East is between the state and the nation.

Conclusion

There is no doubt about the global importance of the Middle East, as it is a region with cultural diversity and a vast history. But these great characteristics are often overshadowed by various wars, generated by various interests, both local in the region, and interests around the world. For multiple reasons that are not easy to offer and that range from religion to oil, nobody is indifferent to what happens there. A tangible proof of this are the numerous commissions, initiatives, proposals, conventions and others that have been generated to try to find a solution to the serious conflicts that have plagued the region.

References

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