Razi University

   Abstract The growing importance of transit corridors in the restructuring of supply chains and geoeconomic competition has transformed Iraq’s “Development Road” project from merely a tra  ortation initiative into an issue closely associated with economic development, geoeconomic power, and regional security. The significance of this study stems from the fact that, on the one hand, Iraq seeks to diversify its oil-dependent economy and enhance its position within regional networks by leveraging its geographical location between the Persian Gulf and Türkiye; on the other hand, achieving this objective is constrained by institutional, financial, political, security, and corridor-competition challenges.The main objective of this research is to provide a geopolitical analysis of Iraq’s Development Road and explain how it may affect Iraq’s geopolitical and geoeconomic position within the context of Middle Eastern corridor competition, with particular emphasis on the project’s developmental objectives and the political-security challenges affecting its implementation. Accordingly, the main research question is: “What developmental and geoeconomic objectives does Iraq’s Development Road pursue, and how can it affect Iraq’s geopolitical and geoeconomic position under the influence of political-security challenges and Middle Eastern corridor competition?” The main hypothesis is based on the assumption that, through the Development Road, Iraq seeks to transform its geographical position into a geoeconomic advantage, diversify its economy, expand its transit and logistics capacities, attract investment, and enhance its regional position. However, the extent to which these objectives are achieved depends on the Iraqi government’s institutional and implementation capacity, sustainable financing, the stability and security of the route, and Baghdad’s ability to manage corridor competition and the divergent interests of regional and extra-regional actors. In terms of purpose, this research is applied, while in terms of nature and methodology, it is descriptive-analytical. Data were collected through library and documentary research using Persian, Arabic, and English academic sources, official documents and reports, and studies published by research institutions. The theoretical framework combines the geoeconomic approach, the concept of securitization from the Copenhagen School, and Regional Security Complex Theory (RSCT), thereby enabling an integrated analysis of the relationship between infrastructure, economic power, security perceptions, and the regional environment. The findings indicate that the Development Road has the potential to transform Iraq’s geographical position into a geoeconomic advantage, develop non-oil revenues, strengthen logistics and industrial activities, and increase Iraq’s role in regional networks. However, this potential is neither automatic nor guaranteed. Weak governance and institutional coordination, financing problems, disputes between Baghdad and the Kurdistan Region, the activities of armed groups, insecurity along parts of the route, and logistical limitations are among the most significant obstacles to the project’s realization.Furthermore, the relationship between the Development Road and China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), as well as the India–Middle East–Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC), is not characterized solely by exclusionary competition; rather, it reflects a combination of competition, overlap, and the possibility of complementarity. Overall, the main hypothesis is conditionally supported. The study concludes that the Development Road represents a “strategic but conditional capacity”