Journal Home
Login
Register
Open Access Journal
Submit a Paper
Propose a Special lssue
Open Access
ARTICLE
Networked Power, Ideological Realignment, And Security Transformation In The Contemporary Middle East
Issue Vol. 2 No. 01 (2025): VOLUME 02 ISSUE 01 --- Section Articles
pdf
Abstract
The contemporary Middle East is undergoing a profound structural reconfiguration marked by the erosion of unipolar external dominance, the proliferation of non-state military actors, the normalization of relations between erstwhile adversaries, and the emergence of ideologically hybrid foreign policy doctrines. This article offers a comprehensive, theoretically grounded, and empirically anchored analysis of this transformation by integrating critical political economy, classical realism, constructivist security studies, and networked geopolitics. Drawing upon a wide range of scholarly works, including Carr’s foundational realist critique of interwar liberalism (Carr, 1939), Agbiboa’s analysis of jihadist organizational transformation (Agbiboa, 2015), and recent scholarship on Gaza, Iran, Hamas, and regional multilateralism, the study advances the argument that the Middle East is transitioning from a system of hierarchical alliance structures to a fluid, networked regional order. In this emerging order, power is no longer monopolized by states or external patrons but is distributed across interconnected nodes composed of states, militias, economic alliances, ideological movements, and security providers.
The article situates the October 7 Hamas operation, the Gaza war, the Abraham Accords, Iran’s “Look to the East” doctrine, and the South Caucasus realignment within a unified theoretical framework that explains how declining Western hegemony and intensifying intra-regional interdependence have reconfigured strategic behavior (Hokayem, 2023; Krieg, 2024; Perletta, 2024). Hamas is conceptualized not merely as a militant group but as an adaptive political-military organization embedded in a transnational resistance network (Hamoud, 2024; Brown, 2024). Iran is examined as a hybrid power that fuses ideological resistance with pragmatic multipolar diplomacy (Bazoobandi et al., 2023; Divsallar & Azizi, 2023). The Gulf states and Israel are shown to be redefining security through economic and technological interdependence rather than territorial deterrence (Fulton & Yellinek, 2021; Priya, 2024).
Methodologically, the article employs qualitative comparative analysis and interpretive geopolitical modeling, relying on structured literature synthesis and historical contextualization. The findings demonstrate that Middle Eastern security dynamics can no longer be understood through alliance politics alone but must be analyzed through the logic of overlapping networks of cooperation and confrontation. The discussion further explores the normative implications of this shift for sovereignty, legitimacy, and conflict resolution, arguing that the region is moving toward a post-Western multilateralism that is unstable yet resilient (Fawcett, 2025).
By synthesizing diverse literatures into a single analytical architecture, this study fills a critical gap in Middle Eastern international relations theory and provides a conceptual foundation for understanding the region’s evolving geopolitical future.
Keywords
References
1. Bazoobandi, S., Heibach, J., & Richter, T. (2023). Iran’s foreign policy making: consensus building or power struggle? British Journal of Middle Eastern Studies, 51(5), 1044–1067.
2. Carr, E. (1939). The twenty years’ crisis 1919–1939. MacMillan.
3. Fulton, J., & Yellinek, R. (2021). UAE-Israel diplomatic normalization: a response to a turbulent Middle East region. Comparative Strategy, 40(5), 499–515.
4. Hamoud, T. (2024). Understanding October 7 through Hamas’s adaptability and leadership structure. Journal of Palestine Studies, 53(2), 88–94.
5. Bakhshandeh, E., & Yeganeh, Y. (2023). Geopolitical transformation in Eastern Mediterranean: restructuring role of Greece and the impact of the Abraham Accord. International Studies, 60(2), 231–249.
6. Agbiboa, D. E. (2015). Shifting the battleground: The transformation of Boko Haram’s terrorism and the growing influence of Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb. Global Security Studies.
7. Perletta, G. (2024). Iran’s foreign policy from non-alignment to ‘Look to the East’: Between ideology and pragmatism. Middle East Critique, 34(1), 21–41.
8. Priya, L. (2024). The changing foreign policy dynamics of GCC states: a study through the lens of positive interdependence. Asian Journal of Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies, 18(1), 32–47.
9. Fraihat, I., & Ezbidi, B. (2023). The lasting impact of Trump’s ‘Deal of the Century’ on the question of Palestine. Middle East Critique, 33(1), 121–141.
10. Divsallar, A., & Azizi, H. (2023). Towards a non-Western model of security assistance: How Iran assists militaries. Mediterranean Politics, 29(4), 550–572.
11. Hokayem, E. (2023). The Gaza war and the region. Survival, 65(6), 57–66.
12. Brown, N. J. (2024). Hamas: An existential challenge or an existentialist movement? Israel Journal of Foreign Affairs, 18(2), 176–184.
13. Fawcett, L. (2025). The changing regional faces of peace: Toward a new multilateralism? Contemporary Security Policy, 46(2), 372–401.
14. Olson, J., Zaga, M., & Benger, D. (2024). From Arab-Israeli conflict to Arab-Israeli integration: A new curriculum for understanding the contemporary Middle East. The Journal of the Middle East and Africa, 15(4), 343–369.
15. Kaleji, V. (2024). Islamic Republic of Iran’s foreign policy in the South Caucasus: Opportunities and constraints. Cambridge Scholar Publishing.
16. Krieg, A. (2024). The war in Gaza, the decline of US leadership and the emergence of a networked regional order. Mediterranean Politics, 1–10.
