Regional Competition in Iraq

After the U.S invasion of Iraq, Iran, Suadi Arabia and Turkey have attempted to expand their geopolitical influence in the Middle East. These actors have adopted different and various policies to achieve their goals. The present article explores the policies and strategies of Saudi Arabia and Turkey in new Iraq. The findings of this article illustrate that these regional actors have attempted to restrain Iran’s political influence in Iraq by taking advantage of social cleavages and the lack of national identity in this country. For doing so, the authors address the policies and reactions of regional powers in Iraq and they apply a three level model to explore the developments in new Iraq. At the national level, the lack of national identity, social cleavages and nation building in Iraq have been examined. At the regional level, the competition between regional powers and at the international level, the approaches and strategies of the United Stated have been analyzed.