5 Most Powerful Countries in the Middle East Heading into 2024

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1. Turkey

Economic Strength Rank: 2

Military Strength Rank: 1

Political Soft Power Rank: 3

Cultural Influence Rank: 3

Weighted Score: 2.1

Turkey is the most powerful country in the Middle East. Its geostrategic location at the intersection of Asia and Europe has earned it sufficient geopolitical clout. It is also a member of NATO and the EU. Economically, despite the crash of the local currency, the Turkish economy is close to touching the one trillion dollar mark in terms of nominal GDP.

Ankara has used its economic power to strengthen its military as well with a focus on becoming self-sufficient in the defense sector and reducing dependency on foreign countries for defense equipment. Today, there are more than 700 projects worth $70 billion that are under development in Turkey’s defense industry. The Turkish military is the strongest amongst all countries in the Middle East.

Turkey is also actively advancing its cultural and political influences through production of state-backed TV drama serials, that are also dubbed in various international languages. One such example is that of ‘Ertugrul’.

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