Geopolitics of the Middle East.

Geopolitics of the Middle East.

Chapter Two. Gas and Water Geopolitics in the Middle East.

Natural gas and water are some of the resources that cause interest in the Middle East’s political and economic aspects. The growing demand for natural gas and the scarcity of water in the Middle East cause the various forms of conflicts in the region as multiple factors affect the politics in the area. Water and natural gas demand in the area and the different nations’ diverse interests in the trade concerning the gas and water resources in the region cause conflicts and shape the geopolitics area. The discovery and exploration of the natural gas in the middle east have;led to the interest of the many countries in demand for the gas. The water bodies surrounding the middle east have led to the politics of control of the vast resource-scarce region.

The water bodies present in the Middle East include the river, Tigris, and the Euphrates that run across the region (Drake, 2007, 1). Over the past decade, the rise in the exploration of natural gas in the various countries in the Middle East has increased, causing more conflicts and political aspects. Some neighboring countries in the region have gone into war against each other to control the areas believed to have the natural gases and water control areas. The events in the last decade in the Middle East have led to the conflict of the major world powers who want to involve in the control in the vast gaseous resources in the region and thus caused friction in the area. The presence of natural gas in some of the Middle East areas has led to conflicts among the regional nations and the international countries that struggle to control the resources (Drake, 2007, 1). The waters that connect the various regions in trade and the production of the water for domestic use by the rivers in the area like the river Euphrates have also, over time, caused conflicts in the region over time.

The Middle East is one of the world’s largest natural gas producers, and thus the exploration of the resource has attracted most of the consumers of the product around the world. With the various powers around the world being the largest consumers of the natural gas products and the competition for the control of the supply and the gas market, the Middle East has been a focus of the various powerful nations like China, Russia, and the USA. The interests of the nations in the middle east due to the gas production have led to the various political and economic aspects in the different countries in the middle east as the powerful countries struggle to control the vital resource. The struggle to control the vast gas deposits and the help in the Middle East have led to conflicts and antagonism against the countries and the powers in the Middle East, affecting the area’s politics.

Natural gases found in the hydrocarbons are likely to be found in most Middle East countries such as Qatar, Iraq, Iran, the United Arab Emirates, and Lebanon. The region is one of the world’s largest producers of natural gases and hydrocarbons useful in providing energy to many industries across the globe. The demand for hydrocarbons such as natural gases in various parts of the world thus increases the interests of the different powerful countries in the region to control the resources and shape the geopolitics of the area in many ways.

Middle East countries such as Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, Kuwait, and United Arab Emirates are strategically placed in the geographical map and thus present a strategic route for trade and people’s interactions. The region is dry and arid with the rainfall and water resources in that region being low. Thus, the parts struggle for the available water resources and water bodies vital in trade and connection to the rest of the world. The Middle East is strategically placed on the map. It acts as the central place for the connection of Europe, Asia, and Africa, which presents a conflict in controlling the territorial water bodies that connect the three continents. The Middle East is a strategic place for the transportation of the goods from one point of the world to another and thus presents a conflict zone in the world’s politics. Many of the countries that affect the region’s politics are concerned with the control of the region’s trade in the gases and other petroleum products produced in the area. The interest thus causes the various political unrest in the region as each country struggles to control the resources and dominate in the production and exportation of the products. The states also want to look for gases in other countries and create employment for their citizens through the Middle East’s resources.

Giant companies have emerged in the Middle East region to explore, mine, and trade in the gaseous effluent areas that offer great investment opportunities.  The discoveries of immense and vast hydrocarbons such as natural gases in the east of the Mediterranean Sea have sparked international interest and made the wealthiest nations involved in the Middle East countries’ trade and politics. The waters and the discovery of the hydrocarbons may influence the Middle East’s geopolitical aspects in the future as it has already caused the elements of politics in the Middle East countries since its discoveries. Competition for the control of the gas-producing regions in the Middle East and the water for transportation and consumption of the gas in various parts of the world led to conflicts in the area basically out of the multiple aspects of the resources. The companies, mostly from the powerful nations around the world such as the USA, Russia, and China, enjoy the support of their governments, which try to influence the region’s politics and thus cause conflicts among the nations and themselves. The interests of the various powerful countries such as China, the USA, and Russia in the region for the exploitation and control of the gas and water territories in the area cause the region’s political instability and the unrest from time to time among the Middle East nations.