The power vacuum created after the onset of the Syrian crisis (March 2011) acted as a magnet for the regional ambitions of the centers of power in the system, as well as a source of risks and instability for the broader system. By late 2012, the Syrian crisis had transcended the borders of Syria and had transformed into a regional war with international ramifications.

The escalation of the Syrian War resulted in the formation of a new power competition framework in the Middle Eastern system. Despite their geostrategic and ideological differences, the Syrian War provided the Sunni power centers of the system - Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Qatar - with a geopolitical fault line in order to deal a significant blow to the cohesion of Iranian power at the center of the Middle Eastern system.

As a result, the regional competition contributed decisively to the rapid escalation of the Syrian War, the cancellation of Syria's territorial integrity, and the emergence of a new wave of Islamist militarism, manifested in organizations like the "Islamic State." The repercussions of the Syrian crisis directly affect not only the regional distribution of power but also the entire functioning of the acting suprasystem.

Nevertheless, the energy aspect of the crisis has not been sufficiently described and analyzed. However, the plans for two competing pipelines undermine regional security, as they intensify the traditional conflict between Sunni and Shia Islam, with the international pillars of power and influence of the acting suprasystem participating in promoting the pipeline that is most beneficial to them.