The article aims to deepen the theoretical foundations of the fragmentation of the Middle Eastern countries in terms of socio-economic factors that have significantly influenced stability and development in the region. The authors highlight the consequences of fragmentation for various aspects of social life, including political stability, social cohesion, economic development, and human well-being. The article outlines potential strategies and interventions to address these challenges in order to contribute to a more inclusive and prosperous Middle East. The authors analyze the ethnic, religious, and cultural differences in the Middle East that have contributed to social fragmentation and led to tensions and conflicts that ultimately impede socio-economic development. Fragmentation is shown to have affected social cohesion and cultural identity in the region. Differences based on ethnicity, religion, and political preferences hinder social integration, leading to increased social tensions and potential conflicts. Political instability and governance problems, including weak governance structures and authoritarian regimes, are analyzed. The article reveals that political instability has contributed to fragmentation in the region due to the lack of inclusive governance systems and effective institutions, which hinders economic growth and social progress. The fragmentation of political stability and security in the Middle East is assessed. Internal conflicts, inter-confessional tensions, and the rise of non-state actors pose serious challenges to regional stability and cooperation. The authors show that the unequal distribution of wealth and resources, combined with high levels of poverty and unemployment, has increased social inequality and created economic fractures in the region. Limited regional cooperation, trade barriers, and political instability impede economic growth, preventing the creation of sustainable livelihoods and opportunities. 

Middle East, fragmentation, socio-economic factors, social cohesion, economic development, political stability, human well-being 

The geospace stratification substantiate and its spatial differences reveal based on the analysis of the economic growth dynamics. The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the slowdown in economic growth confirmed and its negative consequences for the investment sphere clarified, because the ability of countries to respond adequately to these processes is different. It has been determined that under the globalization influence, the world acts as a single whole, and the core of developed countries and the periphery is formed as well as local civilizations are transformed. Attention focuses on the research of the values problems that determine the state of society development. The research of the essential characteristics of civilizations carried out and the ideas of the main European civilizational schools characterized. Based on M. Rokeach’s concept, the features that characterize values are determined. It confirmed the values that dominate in society are the main element of culture. The model for measuring the cultural variability of the cross-cultural plane, which was developed by the Dutch psychologist G. Hofstede, is detailed, and the influence of cultural characteristics on the new economy formation is analyzed. The «World Values Survey» study has been assessed. It confirmed that, due to the impossibility of full-fledged self-realization of the individual, migration processes activated and their analysis shows a tendency towards growth. It substantiated that in the modern world the questions about the nature of the socio-cultural integrity of civilizations and civilizational ecumene, associated with religious differences and demographic processes, remain unresolved. An assessment of the demographic situation in the world carried out and its growing dynamics and regional asymmetries clarified. A spatial analysis of the distribution of countries in the global space with dominant religions carried out and the main trends in the world religions development revealed. The role of strengthening the intangible component in the structure of modern economic reproduction argues. It confirmed that the potential of the countries and the world development as a whole takes place in the process of deepening cross-civilization-integration processes. The main civilizational challenges of global economic development are formulated, they are formed under the multi-vector processes in the world, including: spatial asymmetry of countries’ development, universalization of values, socio-cultural differences, ethnic problems, religious differences, demographic and migration processes. 

civilizational challenges, global economic development, socio-cultural contradictions, intercivilizational interaction, cultural characteristics