Abstract. In 2021, the trends that emerged a year earlier remained relevant in the Middle East: the normalization of relations between Arab countries and Israel continued, there was high activity of non-Arab countries, and the risk of internal instability and protest activity remained significant. At the same time, a number of events have occurred that may lead to the emergence of new long-term trends. In particular, a partial revision of the American strategy in the Middle East began, the American strategy in the Middle East was partially revised, «freezing» of armed conflicts began to take place, and finally, the failure of democratization attempts associated with the first and second waves of the «Arab spring» became obvious. The region’s economy has seen a cautious recovery from the crisis caused by the pandemic. At the same time, inflation continued to increase, hitting the most vulnerable segments of the population and exacerbating already high social tensions.