Özet:

The Middle East has been the habitat of civilization due to its characteristics throughout history. The Middle East, where monotheistic religions have risen, that has witnessed great wars and located at the center of intersection of transportation routes, has always been in the spotlight. The name of the Middle East, which has been home to many countries, civilizations and nations, has changed many times in history. Before this term was used, the region was generally called as ‘‘the east’’ referring to today’s Middle East territories. Yet, even if the whole world calls these territories as ‘‘the Middle East’’ today, it is now open to question where the Middle East exactly is and its relative definitions of ‘‘the middle’’ and ‘‘the east’’. As there is no clear definition for a geographical border, the relevant literature does not indicate a direct geography named ‘‘the borders of the Middle East’’. For this reason, there are different perspectives on the geography of the Middle East. It is understood that the borders of this geography have changed according to the current political developments and that this term entirely bears a political meaning. It is an unchanging truth that the definition of these territories, whose scope has been changed many times until today, is mostly determined by socio-economic dynamics and global balance of power rather than geographical features. The term "Middle" in the Middle East terminology is interpreted in English, and its geographical position is interpreted according to the boundaries of the western countries. Even the term ‘‘Middle East’’ bears a meaning that generally refers to the Muslim-Arab world. In this study, it was aimed to determine the struggle and strategic plans to control the geography of the Middle East in the essence of the geopolitical approaches of the West.

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