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Section D![]()
States of the Middle East
The procedure by which the description of the total Middle Eastern landscape was built up from the physical basis through the socio-economic and cultural systems to the political overlay is equally applicable to individual states. For each state, the components summarise the main elements of the physical, socio-economic, cultural and political/military systems. At the same time, an analogy with the theatre can be pursued and the components have been refined to offer an assessment of the state’s power to act on the Middle Eastern and global stages. Power in this context can be related to such factors as location, area, population, economic and military strength, and external support through connectivity. It may be exemplified or enhanced through the action of an influential individual.
The tabulated components offer a synopsis of the current situation but it must be remembered this also results from history and a list of recent significant events is provided. What is at stake currently for each state is considered in a section on “Key issues” and conclusions are reached on the current overall status of each state.
The main sources for this section have been highlighted in the Preface but are set out in more detail in Section F: Further reading. Most of the terms used are in common parlance but a number, together with the various indices, require further definition. The majority of these definitions are synopses of those that appear in The World Factbook (Central Intelligence Agency 2012), and the provenance of the remainder is listed.
Boundary Vulnerability Index The source of the index is International Boundaries: A Geopolitical Atlas (Anderson 2003). This is a national assessment based on a wide variety of sources and discussions with experts. For each separate boundary of the state, the potential geographical accessibility has been assessed on a five-point scale (1 is the least accessible), taking account of altitude, relief and the existing communication network. A similar measure for potential political instability, with 1 as the most stable, has been based on the relationship – political, economic, social and particularly military – between the states, together with specific boundary zone and boundary line problems. The measure of accessibility indicates constraints to action while the measure of instability represents the likelihood of tension or conflict. The product of the two indices, each measured on a five-point scale, expresses the potential security concerns associated with that specific boundary. The national assessment is produced by weighting the indices for each boundary according to the relative length of that boundary compared with the total state land boundary length. The resulting boundary vulnerability index for the state is presented to the nearest 0.5.
Contiguous zone This is contiguous to the territorial sea, and over it a state may exercise the control necessary to prevent a variety of infringements. The contiguous zone may not extend beyond 24 nml from the baseline (i.e. 12 nml beyond the territorial sea).
Continental shelf This comprises the seabed and subsoil of the submarine areas that extend beyond the territorial sea throughout the natural prolongation of the land to the outer edge of the continental margin or to a distance of 200 nml from the baseline. Where the continental margin extends beyond 200 nml from the baseline, coastal states may extend their claim to a distance not to exceed 350 nml from the baseline or 100 nml from the 2,500 m isobath (line joining places of equal depth).
Defence budgets Some budgets include foreign military assistance (FMA), the source of which is given in parentheses.
Exclusive economic zone (EEZ) A zone beyond and adjacent to the territorial sea in which a coastal state has sovereign rights for exploring and exploiting, conserving and managing the natural resources of the waters, seabed and subsoil. The outer limit of the EEZ shall not exceed 200 nml from the baseline.
Exclusive fishing zone In cases in which a state has chosen not to claim an EEZ but rather to claim jurisdiction over the living resources, the term “exclusive fishing zone” is often used, although it is not used in the UN Conference on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). The breadth of this zone is normally the same as the EEZ or 200 nml.
Failed State Index The ind...
