The security dilemma is a theoretical system characteristic of international relations, which in the opinion of the authors, “warns” about the existence of “geopolitical traps”, the way out of which involves making serious efforts to survive as an entity. To elucidate some theoretical aspects regarding the essence and forms of manifestation of the “security dilemma”, the authors focus on studies by John Hertz, Robert Jervis, Herbert Butterfield, Ken Booth and Nicholas Wheeler, Glenn H. Snyder. The conflicts in the Middle East and the Middle East were chosen as case studies, which are characterized by the participation of a large number of actors with various economic, political and geostrategic interests. The authors concluded that the concept of the “security dilemma” is difficult to apply in international relations research and cannot elucidate in depth regional conflict situations, including in the Middle East.