Global Power Competition and Regional Order in the Middle East

The field of international relations has undergone a remarkable transformation in the wake of intensified rivalry among global powers, leading to significant repercussions for regional politics in the Middle East. Since 2020, the region has witnessed important diplomatic realignments, recalibrated alliances, and an evolving security architecture shaped by both Middle Eastern and Eurasian actors. The reemergence of strategic engagement among major powers, alongside changes within democratic models in the United States and beyond, has contributed to a multipolar system in flux. These shifts have, in turn, redefined patterns of governance, regional diplomacy, and external intervention across the Middle East. Despite the growing literature on great-power politics, there remains a need for a comprehensive understanding of how global competition reshapes regional autonomy, governance, and conflict dynamics across this complex geopolitical arena.This Research Topic aims to examine how global power rivalries and strategic realignments influence the contemporary Middle East. It seeks to explore the consequences of the evolving international order on regional structures of authority, cooperation, and resistance. Specifically, the research will investigate how economic statecraft, diplomatic engagement, and security partnerships interact to redefine regional strategies and political trajectories. The project also aims to interrogate how domestic political systems, ideological narratives, and public diplomacy evolve under the pressures of an increasingly multipolar world.To gather further insights into how global transformations shape the political, economic, and social order of the Middle East, we welcome articles addressing—but not limited to—the following themes:• Great-power competition and its implications for Middle Eastern regional order• Emerging diplomatic alignments and regional cooperation frameworks• Multipolarity and evolving security architectures in the region• Economic interdependence, sanctions, and strategic partnerships• Hedging strategies, regional autonomy, and adaptive governance models• Sociocultural transformations stemming from geopolitical shifts• Comparative analyses of external influence by the United States, China, Russia, and the EU Topic editors: Rand Irshaidat, Mohammed T.Bani Salameh, Timi Olubiyi PhD, Salime Mehtap Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/81492/global-power-competition-and-regional-order-in-the-middle-east