Healing a Divided Region: Health, Digital Innovation and Geopolitics in the Middle East: A Personal Review and Interdisciplinary Reflection

The Middle East is undergoing profound transformations that extend beyond oil and security. Waning U.S. hegemony, the rise of new powers, and the spread of digital technologies are reshaping politics, economies and social systems. Amid these geopolitical shifts, public health and medicine have become arenas of both vulnerability and innovation. The COVID 19 pandemic exposed weaknesses in regional health systems; ongoing conflicts have devastated hospitals and spread disease; and digital platforms are redefining how care is delivered. This review integrates health and medicine into a broader analysis of Middle Eastern geopolitics, showing how governance, domestic politics, international relations and digital risk converge to shape the region’s future.