The Role of Geographical Spaces in Powers Competition; Case Study: Iraq

Intrduction : Spaces and places are fields of competition between political players to influence. Regarding that Iraq and its borders were established after the collapse of Ottoman Empire, it is a mosaic of ethnicities and religions in the Middle East Heartland. That this factor is not only an obstacle for protecting territorial integrity and creating national identity, but also it has paved the way for influence, intervention and rivalry of powers and fundamentalist. So, the aim of this paper is to investigate the role and the effects of geographical spaces (ethnical- religious) on powers rivalry.
Methodology : The research method is analytic- descriptive, and data gathering procedure is based on library findings and filed survey (Questionnaire).
Findings : Geographical space of some countries such as Iraq, includes values and potentials that atract regional and global powers. The absence of state authority in Iraq, in one hand prevents the exploitation of internal potentials of the country and the other hand smooth the way for intervention of the foreign powers. In adition, the condition of the establishment and independence of the country, ethnic and religious heterogeneous composition, the lack of inclusive national identity and the failure of previous governments in the process of nation-building, causing disintegrity in unity of the country. Now foreign powers like the United States, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Salafist organizations, Russia, Israel, the Arab League has influence and intervention in Iraq that each of the mentioned powers has influence on the internal ethnic and religious groups.
The research findings show that interfering powers in the country with an operational component of ethnicity and religion are trying to reach their advantages and political and strategic purposes.