Code and Conflict: The Cyber-Geopolitics of the Middle East

The Middle East serves as a hotbed of geopolitics, where rivalries—particularly between Iran and the Saudi/UAE axis—have made the cyber realm the vanguard of statecraft. This episode analyzes how nations deploy asymmetric capabilities, ranging from destructive malware like Shamoon and sophisticated state-sponsored espionage operations (such as APT34 targeting critical infrastructure in the UAE) to coordinated information warfare tactics used during the Gulf crisis. Such escalating threats force regional governments to accelerate a massive cyber arms race, investing heavily in unified cybersecurity frameworks and imposing strict regulations centered on digital sovereignty, like Saudi Arabia’s data localization laws.