Geopolitics and the Changing Political Geography of the Middle East: A Systematic Literature Review

<title>Abstract</title> <p>Over the past decades, the Middle East has undergone profound geopolitical transformations that have reconfigured patterns of authority, borders, and political space across the region. Regional conflicts, international interventions, and the rise of non-state actors have altered the conventional understanding of state sovereignty and redefined the relationship between the state, territory, and power. This study aims to provide a systematic literature review of academic scholarship in geopolitics and political geography addressing geopolitical transformations in the Middle East. The study adopts a systematic literature review approach by analyzing a body of peer-reviewed journal articles and academic books specializing in geopolitics and political geography. The findings indicate that the Middle East is experiencing an ongoing process of political-geographical reconfiguration driven by complex interactions among local, regional, and international actors, resulting in new forms of authority and sovereignty within state political spaces. The study concludes that understanding geopolitical transformations in the Middle East requires analytical approaches grounded in critical political geography and spatial analysis.</p>