Abstract:

The Red Sea, which is a critical waterway that connects the Mediterranean and the Indian Ocean as a vital route for international oil transport and east-west trade, has become the subject of international geopolitical accounts due to its strategic position, creating a competition and conflict area between the great powers. With the end of the Cold War, the disappearance of the Soviet threat and the developments in the Gulf region have somewhat reduced the military importance of the Red Sea, but the increase in terrorist activities caused by Al-Qaeda has redirected attention to the Red Sea. After the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, the U.S. has strengthened the security infrastructure in the region in order to fight terrorism, and the developments in Somalia and Yemen have led to the dispatch of foreign military forces in the region in order to fight terrorism and piracy. In recent years, the global and regional competition that China’s Generation Road Initiative has accelerated has led to a race for the acquisition of military bases and ports in the Red Sea, where commercial and military interests are incorporated. The Red Sea has also gained importance as a new area of the power struggle between Saudi Arabia and Iran. The developments in Yemen have led to increased military presence of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and Egypt in the Red Sea. Considering these countries’ close relations with Israel, it seems that the Red Sea is becoming a “Arab-Israeli lake.”

Keywords: