Some countries in the Middle East region are interested in proposing or engaging in transport corridors projects that link the East and the West, coinciding with the intertwined political, security, and economic developments the region is witnessing. The Middle East region is considered one of the most important regions in the world, as it enjoys a strategic location that makes it a vital center for the exchange of goods and commodities between the three continents. During the past years, a number of major projects have been proposed, such as the Tehran-Mediterranean Corridor, the Iraqi Development Road, and the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC). These projects seek to achieve many development and commercial goals at the global and local levels. Despite that, these projects face many political, security, economic, logistical, and organizational challenges and risks, which are increasing with the worsening phenomenon of armed conflicts and terrorism in the Middle East.

Given that context; this issue of the Middle Eastern Files aims to analyze the various dimensions of transportation and connectivity projects between the East and the West. It also examines the motives that prompted some countries in the region to plan to establish such projects, as well as reviewing their proposed networks, then discussing the most prominent challenges facing these projects at the political, security, economic, and logistical levels.