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Infrastructure Diplomacy and the Geo-Economics of Gulf Regional Order
Abstract
This article examines how infrastructure diplomacy is reshaping Gulf regional politics through the strategic deployment of transport, energy, and infrastructural networks. Moving beyond conventional analyses focused on hydrocarbons, security, and great-power alignments, it argues that infrastructures function as instruments of influence, interdependence, and competition. Adopting a geo-economic perspective, the study analyzes railways, ports, and cross-border energy systems as nested cases. Rail projects embody aspirations for Gulf unity yet remain constrained by national priorities; ports operate as arenas of competition and external engagement; and energy pipelines and grids sustain cooperation even amid crises such as the 2017–2021 blockade. By tracing these dynamics, the article advances a nuanced understanding of infrastructure diplomacy, showing how governance arrangements and material permanence determine whether infrastructures stabilize relations or intensify rivalries. The Gulf experience thus reveals how infrastructural architectures shape the stability and fluidity of regional order.
Keywords
References
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Details
Primary Language
English
Subjects
Middle East Studies, International Institutions
Journal Section
Research Article
Authors
Publication Date
December 29, 2025
Submission Date
October 8, 2025
Acceptance Date
November 27, 2025
Published in Issue
Year 2025 Volume: 9 Number: 2
APA
Aytekin, C. E. (2025). Infrastructure Diplomacy and the Geo-Economics of Gulf Regional Order. Bölgesel Araştırmalar Dergisi, 9(2), 197-213. https://izlik.org/JA54ZZ32UL
AMA
1.Aytekin CE. Infrastructure Diplomacy and the Geo-Economics of Gulf Regional Order. BAD. 2025;9(2):197-213. https://izlik.org/JA54ZZ32UL
Chicago
Aytekin, Cavit Emre. 2025. “Infrastructure Diplomacy and the Geo-Economics of Gulf Regional Order”. Bölgesel Araştırmalar Dergisi 9 (2): 197-213. https://izlik.org/JA54ZZ32UL.
EndNote
Aytekin CE (December 1, 2025) Infrastructure Diplomacy and the Geo-Economics of Gulf Regional Order. Bölgesel Araştırmalar Dergisi 9 2 197–213.
IEEE
[1]C. E. Aytekin, “Infrastructure Diplomacy and the Geo-Economics of Gulf Regional Order”, BAD, vol. 9, no. 2, pp. 197–213, Dec. 2025, [Online]. Available: https://izlik.org/JA54ZZ32UL
ISNAD
Aytekin, Cavit Emre. “Infrastructure Diplomacy and the Geo-Economics of Gulf Regional Order”. Bölgesel Araştırmalar Dergisi 9/2 (December 1, 2025): 197-213. https://izlik.org/JA54ZZ32UL.
JAMA
1.Aytekin CE. Infrastructure Diplomacy and the Geo-Economics of Gulf Regional Order. BAD. 2025;9:197–213.
MLA
Aytekin, Cavit Emre. “Infrastructure Diplomacy and the Geo-Economics of Gulf Regional Order”. Bölgesel Araştırmalar Dergisi, vol. 9, no. 2, Dec. 2025, pp. 197-13, https://izlik.org/JA54ZZ32UL.
Vancouver
1.Cavit Emre Aytekin. Infrastructure Diplomacy and the Geo-Economics of Gulf Regional Order. BAD [Internet]. 2025 Dec. 1;9(2):197-213. Available from: https://izlik.org/JA54ZZ32UL