Revealing Perspectives on the Changing Terrain of the Middle East

The perspectives on the transformations occurring in the various land spaces of the Middle East region reveal the formation of a new geopolitical reality that focuses on the rising geography of invisible influence in the construction of new power bases. These bases are subject to conceptualized virtual borders. Thus, the concept of borders, in its traditional term, represents a clear, defined, and spatially extended geographical domain that grants legitimacy to the state's exercise of its authority within its sovereign borders. However, the nature of the changes shaped by developments in human intellectual activities has contributed to a modern reinterpretation of the traditional concept of borders, which is no longer confined to its conventional meaning. It has become part of an evolving process in the formation of the concept’s meanings and implications, from its initial stages of development.

The Middle East and Changing Borders

Reflecting on the expansion of territorial acquisitions since the dawn of creation, whether disputed or for expansion purposes—between individuals, groups, or tribes—such activities did not recognize the principle of sovereignty or the idea of lines that define the dividing borders. Everything appeared as common and subject to possession and annexation, being a phase preceding the emergence of the concept and its uses. Nevertheless, when defining boundaries or expansion, an imaginary perspective was relied upon, characterized by markers such as walls, wells for irrigation, hills, pastures, water sources, rivers, and other illustrative symbols influenced by natural topography.

However, with the developments in human societies and the escalation of conflicts and disputes, the concept of borders took on a new meaning with the Industrial Revolution, particularly with the advent of maps and measuring tools used to create them. These maps became a tool to limit territorial expansion by states through the establishment of legal and political measures, which increasingly obstructed the process of expansion and annexation.

Despite this, the intensity of disputes and their escalation meant that expansionism became the dominant characteristic of international relations. In light of these profound changes in the activities of states, their territorial domains were subjected to annexation via military control or territorial concessions resulting from international agreements and treaties, such as the 1916 Sykes-Picot Agreement. This serves as clear evidence of the numerous disputes and conflicts over natural borders between countries in the post-colonial Middle East, which have led to continued crises and events, influenced by some states deliberately defining their disputed borders with others.

Moreover, the eruption of many international events and crises in the 20th and 21st centuries can be seen in attempts by various countries to rely on the concept of defined, clear borders in their territorial expansion, whether through annexing more land or stationing forces far from their immediate geographical neighbors. This is evident in the events of World Wars I and II, regardless of the justifications used by each party to achieve its objectives in territorial expansion and annexation. The same phenomenon continued in the Middle East, as regional actors practiced territorial expansion, as demonstrated by the ongoing Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories and their annexation to settlements.

From the above, we can infer that these disputes and events reflect geopolitical aspirations of political units that draw their behavior from the structures of their global cultures, which they attempt to present as neutral when addressing cultural differences within these countries. They also aim to coexist with culturally diverse groups in spatial areas of attraction. In this manner, these units justify their actions with narratives backed by nationalist or sectarian sentiments, which can be seen as tools to ensure the acceptance of their continued expansion. Thus, they are able to achieve their strategic objectives while simultaneously shaping the evolution of perceptions in the minds of decision-makers and strategists, employing various knowledge methodologies to guide their geopolitical choices and affirm their territorial supremacy in the region. This process resembles the organic growth of an entity that feeds through practice and interaction in order to expand and progress, as described by geopolitical thinkers. This has led to the formation of a kind of evolving boundaries, characterized by the concept of "moving boundaries" or "transparent borders," which are defined by experts as boundaries that expand according to the state’s needs. As a state grows and its needs increase, it expands its territory at the expense of neighboring countries, often through known forms of occupation, which other states classify as occupied or under mandate. This concept has been replaced by the idea of transparent borders.

Virtual Borders Manifested in Geography

One can look at Turkey’s expansion toward its near or distant surroundings. For example, we can observe this in Iraq, Qatar, Somalia, and Libya through its military bases or virtual borders. These virtual borders refer to those boundaries created by decision-makers about areas of influence and expansion, which take various forms in different societies and cannot be realistically considered part of the national borders for several reasons. These may include the fact that some areas of influence and expansion lie outside the immediate geographical proximity of the controlling state or are shared with other countries. From this perspective, Turkey's steps in the Middle East can be seen as part of a broader expansionist approach that establishes its influence in new regional governance systems, as observed in Syria following the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime.

In this context, the geographic expansion of Turkey’s virtual borders in the Middle East reflects a series of elements that enhance Turkey’s political dynamics. These elements began with the rise of political Islam in the region, followed by Turkey’s regional role revival and its efforts to resolve problems with neighboring countries. Thirdly, Turkey’s previous functional role helped establish a network of relations with certain political systems and Islamist groups.

Furthermore, we have seen Turkey’s geopolitical expansion in the Middle East driven by its virtual borders, which distinguish this territorial space in line with its geopolitical aspirations shaped by its past and current global orientations. This strategy has been articulated through economic, developmental, cultural, diplomatic, and military cooperation efforts, as announced by the government of Recep Tayyip Erdoğan with the launch of the "Century of Turkey" project in his election campaign. This initiative outlines Erdoğan's vision for Turkey's role and political effectiveness both regionally and globally.

In this context, Hakan Fidan, Turkey's Minister of Foreign Affairs, discussed Turkey’s new direction in his work published on the Turkish Vision magazine website. He stated, "Turkey is entering a period marked by rapidly changing geopolitical dynamics, coupled with increasing global challenges that culminate in a complex era defined by multiple crises. Against this backdrop, Turkey stands out as a constructive and effective regional actor in transforming the system into a more inclusive and efficient international order capable of addressing the current global and regional challenges. While Turkey continues to secure its national interests in an unstable regional and global environment, it will also strive to create the necessary conditions for peace and sustainable development both in its neighborhood and beyond."

With this vision, Turkey is shaping its demands for a multipolar world, with its regional actions in the Middle East reflecting clear strategic impacts, such as its recent steps in Syria. These actions illustrate the creation of virtual, undefined boundaries that do not match the fixed geographical borders on maps. These borders, while not geographically fixed, indicate the growth and scope of Turkey’s influence, at the expense of Iran’s regional power.

Ultimately, this virtual boundary expansion is likely to incur low costs and provide high strategic value to Turkey, optimizing both its material and immaterial resources. This underscores the flexibility of Turkey’s strategic thinking in formulating its national strategies.

Naturally, these expansionist aspirations, even if hidden behind human, religious, or nationalist rhetoric, do not hesitate to employ these tools to ensure Turkey’s growth in the Middle East, particularly in the geopolitical vacuums it has rushed to fill. Consequently, it is evident that historical and political contexts support these Turkish intentions, which are being propagated by the Justice and Development Party (AKP) under the Eurasian perspective. This form of thinking contributes to the emergence of the concept of virtual influence maps, which have become more widely discussed among academics and researchers specializing in international relations due to their flexibility as a newly devised geopolitical term. However, the question remains: Can Turkey successfully navigate these newly created spaces amid the complex changes and intertwined regional and international interests in the Middle East?