Academic Blind Spots in the Middle East: A Bibliometric Deconstruction of Iran-Israel Diplomacy Literature

Muhammad Thohir Ihsan; Imron Rosyadi; Mohammad Zakki Azani; Kuswardani Dyah Ayu Kusumaningrum

doi:10.31943/afkarjournal.v9i3.3459

Authors

Muhammad Thohir Ihsan Universitas Muhammadiyah Surakarta, Indonesia
Imron Rosyadi Universitas Muhammadiyah Surakarta, Indonesia
Mohammad Zakki Azani Universitas Muhammadiyah Surakarta, Indonesia
Kuswardani Dyah Ayu Kusumaningrum Universitas Muhammadiyah Surakarta, Indonesia

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.31943/afkarjournal.v9i3.3459

Keywords:

Bibliometrics, Iran-Israel Diplomacy, Publication Trends, VOSviewer, Scopus, Epistemic Asymmetry

Abstract

This study aims to map the academic landscape of Iran-Israel diplomacy through a bibliometric analysis of 113 Scopus-indexed documents (1972–2026). Using VOSviewer and Microsoft Excel, publication trends, institutional distribution, national contributions, journal sources, and keyword co-occurrence networks were analyzed. Findings reveal an event-driven, non-linear growth pattern: sporadic publications (1972–2005) transitioned to gradual growth (2006–2013), followed by paradoxical stagnation during JCPOA negotiations (2014–2016), and an exponential peak in 2024–2025 triggered by Iran's unprecedented direct military attack on Israel. The United States dominates knowledge production (35.4%), while voices from the Middle East itself remain structurally absent a critical epistemic gap. These findings systematically contribute to understanding the development of Iran-Israel diplomacy literature and provide a roadmap for future research.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

Benjamin, M. (2020). Your Vote Can Help Move U.S. Foreign Policy From Militarism to Diplomacy. In Turnout!: Mobilizing Voters in an Emergency (pp. 62–68). Taylor and Francis. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003048824-15.

Dallas, C. E., & Burkle, F. M. (2011). Nuclear war in the middle East: Where is the voice of medicine and public health? Prehospital and Disaster Medicine, 26(5), 383–385. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1049023X11006613.

Hale, D. (2024). AMERICAN DIPLOMACY TOWARD LEBANON: Lessons in Middle Eastern Foreign Policy. In American Diplomacy Toward Lebanon: Lessons in Middle Eastern Foreign Policy. Bloomsbury Publishing Plc. https://doi.org/10.5040/9780755652266.

Kamil, A., Noor, Z., & Serwer, D. (2023). Assessing Proliferation Risks in the Middle East. Survival, 65(2), 141–164. https://doi.org/10.1080/00396338.2023.2193105.

Maria, A. D., & Fusco, G. (2025). WHICH FUTURE FOR THE GULF? THE MAIN LONG-TERM ECONOMIC CHALLENGES FOR THE GULF COOPERATION COUNCIL COUNTRIES*. In Political, Social, Religious and Economic Challenges in the Middle East and North Africa: From COVID-19 to Agenda 2030 (pp. 379–410). Taylor and Francis. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003565178-21.

Mason, R. (2025). Negotiating the Impossible? A WMD-Free Zone in the Middle East. Middle East Policy, 32(1), 104–117. https://doi.org/10.1111/mepo.12803.

Qian, X., & Xu, Z. (2024). The UAE’s Energy Policy in the Context of the Energy Transition. In H. C. & C. W. (Eds.), Lecture Notes in Electrical Engineering: Vol. 1208 LNEE (pp. 713–720). Springer Science and Business Media Deutschland GmbH. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-97-3940-0_79.

Ramberg, B. (2010). The Iranian quagmire: How to move forward: Position: The military option. Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, 66(6), 121–129. https://doi.org/10.1177/0096340210386915.

Slavin, B. (2024). Gaza War: New Opportunities and Challenges for Iran. Insight Turkey, 26(3), 63–74. https://doi.org/10.25253/99.2024263.6.

Steinberg, G. M. (2006). Examining israel’s NPT exceptionality: 1998–2005. Nonproliferation Review, 13(1), 117–141. https://doi.org/10.1080/10736700600861376.

Steinhilber, J. (2006). Oil for China: Beijing’s strategies to ensure energy in the Middle East and North Africa. Internationale Politik und Gesellschaft, 4, 80-104+190. https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/33750360869?origin=resultslist.

Stevenson, A. (2018). The gender-apartheid analogy in the transnational feminist imaginary: Ms. Magazine and the Feminist Majority Foundation, 1972-2002. Safundi, 19(1), 93–116. https://doi.org/10.1080/17533171.2018.1404752.

Talhami, G. H. (2013). Diplomacy of the Kurdish territorial nation. International Journal of Contemporary Iraqi Studies, 7(1), 21–42. https://doi.org/10.1386/ijcis.7.1.21_1.

Wang, X., Al-Dhafeeire, S. K., & Sun, D. (2025). Saudi Arabia’s US-China Hedging Strategy And Its Regional Impact. Middle East Policy, 32(4), 18–34. https://doi.org/10.1111/mepo.70027.

Zohny, A. Y. (2023). Donald Trump’s Digital Diplomacy and Its Impact on US Foreign Policy towards the Middle East. In Donald Trump’s Digital Diplomacy and its Impact on US Foreign Policy towards the Middle East. Bloomsbury Publishing Plc. https://doi.org/10.5040/9781666990744.