Power relations in the Middle East
Background: Allies and enemies of Israel and Iran
The sun sets behind the Baghdad skyline. photo
© Zhang Miao/XinHua/dpa
The Middle East is a patchwork of old and new enemies and allies. Some are partners of the USA and hope for coexistence with Israel or have already sealed this with agreements and peace treaties. Other forces want to destroy the Jewish state and see Israel and the USA – in keeping with Tehran’s portrayal – as the “small and great Satan”.
The Middle East is a patchwork of old and new enemies and allies. Some are partners of the USA and hope to coexist with it Israel or have already sealed these with agreements and peace treaties. Other forces want to destroy the Jewish state and see Israel and the USA – in keeping with Tehran’s portrayal – as the “small and great Satan”.
Roughly speaking, on the one hand there are countries that have made peace with Israel or are striving to do so and that cooperate militarily with the USA. These include Egypt, Jordan and the Gulf states of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain. There are also large US military bases in Kuwait and Qatar, but these countries have been much more critical of Israel, especially since the beginning of the Gaza War.
On the other hand, there are countries in which powerful militias or political movements help maintain or expand Iran’s military influence in the region. These include Syria, Lebanon, Iraq and Yemen. Syria’s government is directly allied with Iran. In Lebanon, Hezbollah and the Houthi militias in Yemen are part of the so-called “Axis of Resistance” that Iran has set up against Israel.
Iraq has two-way relations: on the one hand, a whole group of militias loyal to Iran, including the so-called Popular Mobilization Forces, which are gradually becoming the dominant political force in the country. At the same time, the Iraqi government is working with the USA, also with the help of the around 2,400 US soldiers still stationed in the country.