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The Greater Middle East: Definition, Boundaries, and Analytical Significance
The Greater Middle East (GME) is a broad geopolitical and cultural concept that extends beyond the traditional definition
of the Middle East. While the conventional Middle East generally includes the Arab states of the Levant andthe Arabian
Peninsula—together with Egypt, Iran, Israel, and Turkey—the term Greater Middle East encompasses a wider arc of countries stretching from North Africa to South and Central Asia. It reflects the recognition that the region’s political, economic,
and security dynamics are deeply interconnected, transcending linguistic, ethnic, and religious boundaries.
In most academic and policy contexts, the Greater Middle East includes the following subregions :
ㆍ North Africa : Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Egypt, and Sudan.
ㆍ The Levant : Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Israel, and Palestine.
ㆍ The Arabian Peninsula : Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Oman, and Yemen.
ㆍ The Northern Tier : Turkey and Iran.
ㆍ The South and Central Asian periphery : Afghanistan, Pakistan, and sometimes the Caucasus states (Azerbaijan,
Armenia, and Georgia), aswell as parts of Central Asia such as Turkmenistan
and Uzbekistan.
The origin of the term “Greater Middle East” is linked to early twenty-first century policy discourse, particularly within U.S.
and European foreign policy frameworks, where it was used to define a single strategic zone encompassing the Muslim-
majority societies of the Middle East, North Africa, and adjacent regions. The concept emerged in response to
globalization, transnational security challenges, and the diffusion of sociopolitical movements—such as the Arab Spring—
that revealed the interdependence of these regions.
Beyond its geopolitical meaning, the Greater Middle East serves as an analytical framework for examining cross-regional
phenomena, including :
ㆍ Political development : governance reform, democratization, and authoritarian resilience;
ㆍ Economic structures : rentierism, diversification, and regional trade integration;
ㆍ Security concerns : terrorism, civil conflict, arms races, and foreign interventions;
ㆍ Demographic pressures : rapid population growth, youth unemployment, and migration flows;
ㆍ Cultural and religious interconnections : transnational Islamic discourse, diasporic networks, and shared civilizational
heritage.
In essence, the Greater Middle East is not a formally delineated region but a transregional system linking the societies of
North Africa, the Middle East, and parts of Asia through common historical legacies, economic interdependence, and global strategic significance. It represents a space where domestic political transformations, economic reforms, and regional
rivalries produce consequences that reverberate well beyond national borders.
Accordingly, the HIKMAH Institute for Middle East Affairs adopts this expanded understanding of the region, defining
its research scope to encompass the entire Greater Middle East—from North Africa and the Arab world to Iran, Turkey, the Caucasus, and South and Central Asia. This broad framework allows the Institute to analyze the region’s
interlinked political, economic, and cultural transformations within a comprehensive comparative perspective.