This article examines the historical and political foundations of national identity formation in the Arab states of the Middle East, conceptualizing identity not as a natural byproduct of ethno-cultural cohesion but as a dynamic political construct. The study argues that the region has largely followed a “state-identity” logic, in which state institutions and elite strategies function as primary mechanisms of identity construction. Particular attention is paid to the legacy of empire especially the confessional-legal ordering associated with the Ottoman millet system and to early twentieth-century colonial boundary-making, whose artificial borders institutionalized long-term competition among tribal, sectarian, and civic loyalties. The article demonstrates that postcolonial state-building and ideological projects unfolded under conditions of institutional fragility and social fragmentation, contributing to the instability of identity regimes. Finally, the research highlights contemporary drivers of transformation-mediatization, digital communication, and diasporas which intensify hybrid and transnational forms of belonging.

national identity, political identity, civic identity, identity politics, Arab countries, constructivism, modernization, globalization, foreign policy, international relations, Arab-Muslim discourse, language policy, memory politics, cultural integration, political stability, collective consciousness, social consolidation, civilizational approach, methodology, institutional analysis.

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