Arab Geopolitical Reality: Division under Regional Roles, Interventions

I previously suggested that the Gaza crisis has contributed to the exposure of many key geopolitical realities and facts concerning the Arab region and the broader Middle Eastern region that are very indicative in terms of the geopolitics of the Middle East and the related rules, relations and divisions. Then, the geopolitical division and struggle in the region has been exposed, and now they constitute a key geopolitical reality of the Middle East.

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This geopolitical division splits the Arab region and the Arab countries into two major camps, which are the mainstream moderate Arab camp and the radical and extremist camp mainly including Baath Syria and the recently exposed Qatar. In addition, this geopolitical reality has some essential facts, aspects and elements that are intrinsic to its very existence and the way and shape it takes.

First of all, it is remarkable that this geopolitical division takes and includes along with states actors non-state actors like Hezbullah and Hamas as the main examples in this regard. Those non-state actors can penetrate the countries where they are located, and influence and pressure those countries on behalf of the camp they are affiliated with, as Hezbullah in Lebanon for example.

Furthermore, those non-state actors are only affiliated with the radical or extremist camp, which its states components support and reinforce those non-state actors in such traditional and non-traditional ways. The Qatar government's latest invitation to Hamas to participate in a states' summit hosted by Qatar, regardless the Palestinian official participation and the Palestinian delegation, is an explanatory example of such non-traditional ways of support and association.

These above facts ramify the distribution of the radical extremist camp in the Arab world, and confuse this distribution and the consequent geopolitical division in the region, making it to be a non-traditional geopolitical conflict. This complicated situation makes this region more difficult to approach and tackle its questions and issues with simple and traditional policies.

The key aspect of the geopolitical reality of this region, which is the basic fact underlying the geopolitical division in the region, is represented by the regional intervention by the key role of non-Arab powers. As this region is surrounded by three non-Arab powers are Iran, Israel and rising Turkey, the main role affecting the geopolitical situation in question is still connected with Iran.

In fact, the rising Turkey is still looking for its regional role, trying hard to find a key and influential regional role of its own in the future. Israel, in its turn, pressures and affects this regional situation through the Palestinian question and its relations and policies concerning its neighboring Arab countries, especially in terms of the mutual conflict. This reality makes a room for other regional roles, influences and sometimes interventions, particularly for Iran's regional expansionism.

Iran actually is the most effective and significant regional power, as it is the prime sponsor of the new forming Arab extremist camp. In fact, this camp is considered as the Iranian camp in the region, and actually it represents the Iranian interests and project in the region, as it almost acts as Iran's surrogate in the Arab region, Arab institutions and the broader Middle Eastern region.

Hence, the Arab regional geopolitical reality is marked by a combination of key regional non-Arab roles and interventions, as this reality is surrounded and significantly affected by two regional extremes are Iran and Israel.