The Geo-Politic Analysis of Shiism in the Middle East Using the SWOT Model

The Shiites of the Middle East, due to their geographical dispersion and residence in regions with high geo-economic value, enjoy a proper geo-political situation in the political and economic realms in the region and the world. On the other hand, some evolutions such as the Islamic revolution of Iran, the success of Hezbullah in Lebanon, the Shiites’ role in Iraq after Saddam, and the diffusion of Islamic awakening, have all caused the Shiite geo-politic issues to shine at the heart of the evolutions in the Middle East region. Accordingly, understanding the real status of the Shiite’s geo-political position as well as identifying opportunities and challenges facing it is an important issue. The present article poses the following question: “what are the opportunities and dilemmas of the Shiite’s geo-politics in the Middle East?” In this way, the article attempts to explain the Shiite’s geo-politics in the political and security evolutions of the Middle East region to identify the strong and weak points as well as the opportunities and threats facing the Shiites. To do so, the article uses a descriptive-analytical method and the SWOT model to offer a proper strategy for promoting the Shiite’s geo-political status in the Middle East region. The Analysis of the information about the Middle East Shiites shows that – due to their identity elements, the dynamic religious laws, and their geo-politically high value residence – the Shiites are able to step towards invasive strategies and using proper policies to improve the Shiites’ geo-political status in the region.