31st Parliamentary Intelligence-Security Forum – The Middle East

Hon. Tzachi Mamo framed Middle East geopolitics through the lens of global trade, technology, ideology, and faith. He argued that today’s competition over trade corridors including U.S.-backed routes such as the India–Middle East–Europe corridor and Chinese, Russian, and Turkish alternatives is not merely economic but ideological, reflecting a broader struggle between democratic and authoritarian visions of global order.

He emphasized the strategic centrality of the Middle East, particularly the Suez Canal, as a chokepoint that shapes global supply chains. Efforts to expand regional integration, including the Abraham Accords and proposed overland connections linking India to Europe through Israel and Saudi Arabia, were described as attempts to reshape trade in ways that promote stability and cooperation.

He highlighted Turkey’s expanding diplomatic and military footprint in Africa, particularly in Libya, Somalia, and Sudan, suggesting that growing Turkish influence near Red Sea trade routes could affect control over critical shipping lanes. He argued that shifting alliances and conflicts including developments in Gaza, Lebanon, and Syria are not isolated events but part of a broader transformation that will influence global trade patterns and geopolitical alignment.

He concluded that the ultimate issue is not simply faster commerce or technological dominance, but the values and principles shaping the future international order, urging nations to consider the ideological and moral foundations behind global economic competition.