Amid Infrastructure Diplomacy and Trade Corridors Competition: Turkey, Qatar and the UAE in the Iraq Development Road Project

Infrastructure projects and competition for trade corridors are significant components of international relations. The Iraq Development Road Project (IDRP) aims to connect the Gulf with Turkey through Iraq’s Great Faw Port, offering a significant economic opportunity for the region. The present study focuses on the strategic chances and challenges of the IDRP in the context of global trade corridors, such as the BRI and IMEC competition in the Middle East. t Turkey and the two Gulf actors utilize the IDRP as a tool of infrastructural diplomacy, influencing regional connectivity and power dynamics in the region. The study brings forward multiple contributions to the scholarly debate on the interplay between international relations and trade corridors. First, it has demonstrated that the project has strong potential to encourage regional development and stability by enhancing trade and connectivity among Turkey, Iraq and the Gulf countries. Second, it also faces major problems, including funding issues, regional rivalries and security risks. Third, Iran, Kuwait and Egypt, along with tensions between Erbil and Baghdad and instability caused by militia groups, complicate its realization. Findings suggest that the IDRP aims to connect the Gulf, Iraq, Turkey and Europe, and to boost trans-regional trade, despite ongoing political and security challenges.