Who are main regional powers ? What makes them so?

 

Feanor, I'm Turkish and Egyptian and I must say culturally and geographically Turkey shares almost nothing besides history and religion with the Middle East. They are both on divergent paths and and pretty soon Turkey may be a part of the EU. Most Turks identify themselves different from Arabs and other Middle Eastern peoples. They have practically no connection or they are severed to other Middle East nations.

 

And I understand Turkey's not exactly European either but it is becoming more European while the Middle East is becoming more anti-Western and radically so.

 

Besides, Egypt is stronger militarily if you compare it to Iran. I don't know if you have but if you do compare it then to Turkey and you will see what I'm talking about. Egypt is also planned to mass modernize its army within a few years.

 

If you go by this reckoning, which I did not use for this question, Then the US is considered to be the most powerful country in North East Asia, Europe, and The Middle East. But for this discussion we seem to be talking about powers that geographically located in a region.

Though I agree that France tends to play a large role in Africa.

 

Pan-Arabism was started by Nasser who opposed the West and later dispelled by Sadat and Hosni who supported the West but the movement is still alive among its people.

 

And Zagros I do not mean to be rude or antagonize you but is your belief in this Pan-Arabism have something to do with your Persian heritage?

 

I am actually indifferent to pan-Arabism, in fact I would prefer it if Arabs united under one state on Arab land instead of having such bickering, cowardly subservient leaders - they are a shame unto their heritage. 

I don't think it would be because there is a common enemy of all middle eastern countries and has been for the last 200 years.  If these Arabs would follow Arab interests instead of being played off against Iran then there is nothing to worry about since Iran is itself a large and powerful country anyway, making war highly undesirable.

 

In addition,  in no one province do Arabs actually constitute a majority, More than half of Khuzistan is actually Lor/Bakhtiari and urban Persian.  One pan Arabist leader did try to play the fact that there are Iranian Arabs against Iran and failed miserably.  His first name began with s and ended with m.