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Eissa Institute for Strategic Studies and LeadershipEissa Institute for Strategic Studies and Leadership
Strategic Studies

Arab Strategic Autonomy in a Multipolar International Order

Published
12 May 2026
Reading time
9 min
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4,821
downloads
1,263

Abstract

This study examines how the environment of Arab strategic decision-making shifts as the international order moves from unipolarity toward multipolarity, and asks what conditions produce a real rather than rhetorical margin of autonomy. It compares three regional approaches to managing relations with the great powers and weighs the cost of each for energy security and trade corridors. It concludes that strategic autonomy is the product of accumulated institutional capacity before it is a diplomatic choice, and proposes a framework for measuring it through five trackable indicators.

Keywords

  • Multipolarity
  • Regional Security

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References

  1. Al-Fahad, O. (2025). Regional balances of power and alliance management. Journal of Strategic Studies, 18(2), 44–71.
  2. Murshid, L. (2024). The state and institutional capacity in the Arab region. Al-Mashreq Academic Press.
  3. Al-Otaibi, H. (2026). Maritime corridor security and the cost of external dependence. Institute Policy Papers, 7, 1–22.

Citation

APA style

Al-Qahtani, S. (2026). Arab strategic autonomy in a multipolar international order. EISSL.