Abstract
Three tasks are tackled in the present contribution. First, it is shown that the regional power concept is innovative because it sheds new light on regional affairs, particularly, but not only, after the end of the Cold War. In the period following World War II, regional affairs have very often been shaped by the global rivalry of two superpowers. Thereby, the significance of regional actors has frequently been neglected. Only in the early twenty-first century when it became apparent that US capabilities are limited, a scholarly movement came into being that developed alternative approaches, among them being the concept of regional power that looks thoroughly at the momentum of regions and actors within it. Second, the Middle East features for not having produced a regional power. Yet, this by no means implies that the concept of regional power is not useful in analyzing regional affairs of the Middle East. Rather, the application of the concept sharpens the view for the actual structures and particularities of Middle Eastern regional affairs. Moreover, by analyzing failed attempts of potential regional powers in the Middle East, the concept proves to be very fruitful in better comprehending regional politics. Moreover, analyses of the Middle East on the basis of the regional power concept allow theoretical conclusions that can enrich the concept itself.
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© 2014 Henner Fürtig
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Beck, M. (2014). The Concept of Regional Power as Applied to the Middle East. In: Fürtig, H. (eds) Regional Powers in the Middle East. The Modern Muslim World. Palgrave Macmillan, New York. https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137484758_1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137484758_1
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