The Middle East is a term that was originally used in the 1850s in the British India Office to describe the area between Europe and India. When used from a Western-centric perspective, which can be problematic in modern-day geopolitics, the term refers specifically to the Gulf Region, the Arabian/Persian Gulf, and several surrounding countries. In this study, the Middle East includes the following countries: the eight countries of the Gulf Region, namely Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, the KSA, the UAE, Iran, and Iraq, as well as Akrotiri and Dhekelia, Cyprus, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine, Turkey, Syria, and Yemen. Because this is such a diverse region, the environment often determines policymakers’ decisions. Several distinct environments exist in which these policymakers need to interact, including the global environment, the interstate environment, and the trans-state environment. From a global perspective, the Middle East has been subject to significant external pressure, mainly through Western intervention. Yet, this area is unique in its culture, history, and traditions, which have generally made it resistant to subordination. Yet, at least in the early postcolonial era, this region appealed to many great powers who saw the potential of oil, transit routes, and other resources.