The Middle East and options for hegemony

[The SC]

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The concept of “hegemony” in the field of international relations includes many models and criteria that prove the fact of its existence with evidence, and it may be global or regional hegemony, and it is also a relative issue, as there is absolute hegemony and partial hegemony, and in the first degree, we cannot talk about hegemony without The existence of interdependence and communication between the components that compete with each other, whether this competition is economic, military, cultural or ideological. Today, we can assert that the dedication of a solid and strong economy, and the ability to control security in the “theater of domination”, are two basic criteria for its acceptance by the group that is subject to it. This is the most important thing that people need, regardless of their affiliations, beliefs, and scientific and cultural levels.


The “economy” and “security” may alternate in priority in achieving the concept of hegemony, according to the international or regional conditions taking place. The economic force cannot operate freely without a military force that secures and protects it. On the other hand, the military force, which is a tool for achieving security and maintaining its stability, cannot maintain its superiority and distinction without an economic force that supports it and provides it with material and moral capabilities. So, these two forces have a very close relationship in the tracks of international relations and the interaction of global events. They work together in cooperation and harmony, supporting each other and taking precedence over them when necessary.

The Middle East region is undergoing changes and attempts to impose hegemony by many powers, and without going into details of the legitimacy and feasibility of these attempts, and without mentioning the parties seeking this, it must be recognized that there is a real confrontation between regional axes, and a raging struggle over the leadership of the region. And on the way to perpetuate this “hegemony,” one must take into account the effects of the “power transition” theory, which considers that every transformation or change of the dominant power results in clashes, violence, and wars. Hegemony requires the exclusion of all competing forces, or their weakening to render them ineffective. We are not talking here about military power only, but about all kinds of power that any country needs. There are many tools of domination, and none of them can be excluded.

The concept of “hegemony” should not be seen as a negative factor that means “imposition and coercion.” Rather, hegemony may be a path to achieving prosperity, security, well-being, and social peace. But there are conditions that must be met and capabilities that must be demonstrated when the force seeks to acquire it. As is well known, all peaceful and legal paths that do not use violence, coercion and exclusion are, to a large extent, permissible in the consolidation of "hegemony". In the current era, it cannot be imposed through coercion, but rather through diplomacy and peaceful influence on the policies of other countries. This idea takes us directly to the concept of “soft power” that Nye talked about, through which states can exercise their influence and influence through the power of attraction and admiration for their political, economic and cultural models, and not through pressure and force.

Some summarize the advantages of the “dominant state” in that it must have the ability to impose rules in the group, the desire to lead the group, and finally the commitment to achieve the mutual benefit of the group that it wants to dominate. A country is considered dominant in the Middle East if it has the following features:

- Possessing military power superior to any competitor in the Middle East. And to have military alliances stronger than any other competing military alliance.
- Having the largest economic growth rate in the region. And the largest network of economic relations and trading partners.
- It has a large number of political allies and friendly relations with most of the peoples of the region.
- It has a strong influence on making most of the rules governing public policy and economic relations.
- It has an attractive social and cultural model.

So, in order to achieve these conditions, the state that seeks hegemony must have economic, political, security and cultural models that are desirable to the group, and it must have a high attractiveness for the overwhelming majority, and it must seek to achieve prosperity, security and peace in the region. Otherwise, the pursuit of this hegemony will only be a long, destructive, bloody path that will not reach the intended goal at the end of the path, and will be full of losses, destruction, and tragedies.

The best, most continuous and stable types of hegemony are those that secure the well-being and freedom of the peoples of the region and guarantee their future, and those that have vast intellectual, political and social spaces that accommodate multiple cultures and ideologies within a beautiful mosaic framework, governed by the spirit of competition to provide the best and most beautiful of what they have.


Staff Colonel M. Dhafer Murad