The Middle East's critical chokepoints and vast energy resources make control over the region central to global power struggles, shifting from fossil fuels to new corridors and green energy. The U.S.-backed India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC), signed in September 2023 at the G20 Summit, aims to bypass traditional routes and counter China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) by connecting India, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and Israel to Europe.
Turkey, however, is actively challenging IMEC with its own strategic corridor initiatives. President Erdoğan declared "there can be no corridor without Turkey," introducing the $17 billion Development Road Project, a 1,200-kilometer railway and highway network connecting Iraq’s Grand Port of Al-Faw to Europe via Turkey, aiming to cut Shanghai-Rotterdam transit times from 33 to 15 days. Ankara is also reviving the Hejaz Railway, connecting Turkey to Saudi Arabia and Oman, to reinforce its influence in the Levant and balance Israeli regional power. Turkey's three-dimensional strategy includes the Middle Corridor, Development Road, and Modern Hejaz Railway, positioning itself as the central transit hub for global trade and energy, though these projects also risk kindling rivalry and conflict in the volatile region.
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