Politic & gov.

iran, saudi
arabia, and egypt
1st meeting

Importance of mid-east
Theres no other region in the world over as much a
contradictory picture as middle east
Home for three religions, the region has unparalleled
diversity of culture and history
Rich with oil reserves, makes mid east as a host of
one of the worlds most precious natural resources
It has also been an ongoing host to historic conflicts
between arab countries and israel, between
conservatives and radical regimes, between iran and
iraq, and the gulf war coalition, between the oil rich
and non oil states, between secularist and and
islamic fundamentalist.

Understanding Middle East

Defining middle east:
there is no general agreement on how to define middle east
geographically. how ever, there still possible to identify three
roughly variants of mid east:
Embrace an area fringed by five seas: the Mediterranean,
Black seas, Caspian and the Red seas and the Persian or
Arabian Gulf, to include Turkey in the north-west, Iran in the
east, and Egypt and the northern Sudan in the west (G.
Rowley)
covers the area from Morocco across Arab North Africa to
Afghanistan and Pakistan and from Turkey on the Black Sea
southwards through to the Sudan (Bill and Springborg1994).
Covering the areas in early days belong to the great Arab,
Persian and Turkic islamic empire. (lewis B)

X factor in mid-east politics

Identity
its hard to characterize this region into
single integrated identity, (islam, arab)
Legitimacy
lead to political stability. Function: as a
tool to exercise power, control the conflict
Modernization
civil movement, awareness of human
right, democracy

ISE strategic position in mid

east
IRAN: The size of its population, its natural resources
and potential for economic growth, and its
geographical location as a transit country for Central
Asian oil and natural gas put Iran in a position of
considerable influence in terms of developments in
the Middle East, not to mention nuke program which
become world concern until now
SAUDI: Rich oil states, Saudi and US have been
allies for more than half a century, which raise
discourse of mid east relation with western world.
EGYPT: political involvement to settle all arab core
concern

Uniqueness of its political system

These three states are very important since their
strategic position in the Middle East conflicts.
Their political systems are also representing variety
and dynamics of government and politics in Middle
East
Iran as an Islamic Republic, Saudi Arabia with its
monarchial system and Egypt that tends to liberal
democracy
The situation of political system and government
will be related with many political phenomena which
are influenced to the system and become main
concern for each state

Special characteristic
Iran with its ambitious revolutionary
ideas,
Saudi Arabia with its political and
theological concept of wahabism
Egypt with its dreaming idea to unify
Arabic countries through spirit of pan
arabism