Dr. Firas Elias
In his book Prisoners of Geography, the British writer Tim Marshall mentions what the fifth Tsar of Russia, Peter the Great, wrote in his will, that they should “get as close as possible to Constantinople and India, that they should constantly provoke wars in Turkey and Persia, that they should penetrate as far as the Persian Gulf, and that whoever rules there will be the true sovereign of the world.” Iraq seems to be the country that fits the geographical conditions of Peter the Great’s will.
Undoubtedly, the search for a role in the context of international relations represents the highest stages of creative strategic thinking for the statesman, as he can translate decisions into projects and ambitions, based on the capabilities of the national state, as it is no secret that major international projects are born out of the needs of states, and this is what made us today in front of an international environment What the world has witnessed from the end of the Cold War to the war in Ukraine has made countries view the issue of economic integration as a form of cooperation, not only in the economic field, but also in the field of political integration, especially in light of the dominance of the United States on the international scene.
It can be said that Iraq today has a good opportunity to reproduce a new geography in the Middle East region, especially since the development road project, if it has a chance of success, will establish a new regional situation, in which all regional countries will find themselves forced to engage, while this project in its current form is limited to building land roads from Istanbul to the Arabian Gulf, in a way that makes Iraq a land corridor connecting the waters of the Gulf to the waters of the Mediterranean Sea, through expanding the development road project, Iraq can make Iraq a land corridor towards the Red Sea through Saudi territory, and thus Iraq will form a strategic center in the East.
Given the geographical location of Iraq, it represents a land launch point towards the three lakes, as Iran with its privileged location on the waters of the Gulf, Turkey with its important position on the waters of the Mediterranean Sea, and Saudi Arabia with its influential location on the waters of the Red Sea need the Iraqi geography in employing the three lakes to expand their economic wheel and increase opportunities for comprehensive development, and Iraq’s success in consolidating this perception in the minds of the leaders of the three countries may make Iraq a center for regional integration and an element of stability and balance in the region.
With this strategic vision, the Iraqi environment can be transformed from one of regional competition to one of cooperation, especially since all of Iraq’s neighboring countries, especially the influential ones, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Iran, will find themselves responsible for protecting political stability in the country and, more importantly, will find themselves forced to produce a new path for relations by shifting from conflict over interests to balance these interests, because it is not in everyone’s interest to continue the zero-sum game in Iraq.
The greatest responsibility in this context lies with the government of Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shi’a Al-Sudani. By activating the “Three Seas Diplomacy”, he can succeed in making a strategic transition in Iraq’s regional position, and through this transition, he can establish a new regional role for Iraq, centered on regional economic integration.
The Development Road project is in line with this integrative trend and aims to achieve more than just cross-border commercial linkage. It will also serve as an artery that allows new blood to flow into the Iraqi economy, in addition to the roads and railways that will connect the southern Iraqi port of Faw to the Iraqi-Turkish border and then the Iranian coast, and in return, it will connect the Iraqi border to the Red Sea on Saudi territory, which may make the Development Road project a promising opportunity and may lead to the establishment of factories and workshops along its corridor, allowing commercial activities and creating a large number of job opportunities, and according to the project, it will be
In the same vein: “development diplomacy” is An external effort to enhance the “diplomacy of the three seas” within the framework of minimizing risks, risks that were confirmed by the divergent regional reactions to the Israeli war on Gaza and the resulting regional repercussions, which showed the need to control its risks to regional countries, which highlights the need for regional integration projects that represent the basis from which to talk about political integration between linguistically, sectarian and politically different countries, Through what the Iraqi Foreign Ministry can do in opening channels of communication with regional actors to work together to realize the potential benefits of the Three Seas Link and ensure its success, especially since the potential benefits of this project are great, as it has the potential to transform the economic landscape of the region, provide new opportunities for trade and investment, and would achieve sustainable regional development.