National security has been one of the main and fundamental concerns of Iraq since its establishment (1920) as a country or actor in the modern international system. In the meantime, regionalism has been raised as one of the most prominent ways to achieve national security, which has gained particular prominence with the transformation of the international system into a complex network system; however, international relations literature, especially in Iraq, has neglected such an issue. For this reason, the fundamental question arises: given the transformation of the international system into a network system that has essentially changed the regionalism model to network models, what is the position and consequences of this new model of regionalism on Iraq's national security and what is Iran's position in this process? In response to this question, the research hypothesis is that in complex-chaotic international systems, due to the interconnectedness of networks and layers of order, regionalism as a mechanism for managing layers of order through managing and controlling the regional system environment and transforming it into various patterns of cooperation in controlling threats affects the national security of countries including Iraq, and Iran plays a connecting role in this network. The findings show that new patterns of network regionalism in Iraq and its strategies, including networking and linking, especially with Iran, will be a way to overcome geopolitical deadlocks and create intelligent deterrence. The most prominent innovation of the research is the presentation of a network regionalism model based on distinct clusters for the country of Iraq.
Keywords: Network Regionalism, National Security, Emergence, Iraq, Iran, Adaptive Network
 
Extended Abstract
National security has been a central and enduring priority for Iraq since its founding in 1920, when it first emerged as a modern state in the international system. Because of its strategic geopolitical and economic position, as well as its cultural significance, Iraq has often been at the center of regional and global competition. As a result, ensuring its national security has remained a persistent challenge for the country’s policymakers. With the growing complexity of the international system, new opportunities—as well as constraints—have arisen in how Iraq approaches its security. In this environment, regionalism has emerged as a potential framework for building security, offering a promising path in an increasingly complex and chaotic world system. Although regionalism has a long history in international relations, dating back to the Persian Empire, it has evolved within the modern complex and chaotic global order to take on a networked form. Through this "networked regionalism," Iraq can open new pathways for achieving national security. This model positions specific countries, particularly Iran, as crucial connecting nodes and network builders. Nevertheless, the literature in International Relations, especially within Iraq, has largely overlooked this dynamic. This neglect raises a central research question: Given the international system's evolution into a networked structure, what is the significance and what are the implications of this new model of regionalism for Iraq's national security? Furthermore, what is Iran's role in this process?The study's hypothesis posits that in complex-chaotic international systems, characterized by layered and interconnected structures, regionalism serves as a mechanism for managing these layers of order. It achieves this by managing the regional system's environment, transforming it into cooperative arrangements to counter threats, thereby directly influencing the national security of countries like Iraq. Within this network, Iran plays a pivotal linking role. However, networked regionalism requires the formation of regional clusters. Iraq's geopolitical situation presents significant obstacles to forming such clusters in its western sphere, to the extent that the country faces a strategic deadlock in its regional branching. Crisis-ridden and even crisis-exporting states in this region can be identified as primary causes of this impasse. Iraq's geopolitics, conversely, enables network clustering to its east and south. In sea geopolitics terms, the country's direct access is limited to the Persian Gulf. However, by extending this sea corridor through Iran to the Indian Ocean and the Sea of Oman, Iran emerges as a critical nexus within Iraq's regional network. This Iranian sea pathway grants Iraq access to new strategic clusters, particularly in South Asia and the Indian subcontinent. The potential extensions of this network could further incorporate clusters in Africa, Latin America, and East Asia, forming subsequent layers of Iraq's sea geopolitical architecture.
Simultaneously, Iran acts as Iraq's essential land bridge to Central Asia and the Caucasus, regions developing within the sphere of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO). This connection projects Iraq's continental influence towards the rapidly ascending economic and political axis of China and East Asia. For Iraq, this network clustering offers a mechanism to mitigate systemic pressures—a primary source of its modern insecurity. The branches of the network can distribute these pressures while simultaneously generating significant new opportunities. This enhances the capacity of Iraq's regional network to meet national needs, effectively transforming the nation's power into a more resilient "networked power." Consequently, the network itself becomes the manifestation of Iraqi influence in the global arena. The findings of this study suggest that in the context of a complex and chaotic international system, networked regionalism has become a fundamental strategy for nations in general, and for Iraq in particular. Iraq's unique position at the intersection of regional and global geopolitical forces presents it with a complex and nested structural layers, making an adaptive, networked regionalism a viable security strategy. Crucially, the success of Iraq's networked regionalism in interlinking and nested clusters is profoundly dependent on the Islamic Republic of Iran. Iran is the pivotal actor for expanding Iraq's constricted sea domain—currently limited to the port of Al-Faw—by connecting it to the vast strategic expanse of the Indian Ocean. On the continental front, Iran links Iraq to clusters in the Indian subcontinent, Central Asia, the SCO, and ultimately to China and East Asia. Therefore, Iran is the indispensable hub for Iraq's networked regionalism. The integration of Iraqi and Iranian network clusters, and the subsequent formation of a nested regional system between them, would fundamentally reshape regional international politics. This new regional order would create a foundation for synergy between Iranian and Iraqi foreign policies. Furthermore, by connecting with the SCO, this partnership could contribute to the emergence of a global "super-network," representing a significant step toward a new world order in this era of global transition.