Research, ideas, and leadership for a more secure, peaceful world

Past Event
Seminar

Arms Control and Missile Proliferation in the Middle East

Open to the Public

In 2010, the Review Conference of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) called for the establishment of a Weapons of Mass Destruction Free Zone in the Middle East and for a conference to be attended by all states from the region to be held in 2012 as a first step to facilitate this goal. Past attempts to advance regional arms control failed because negotiators could not overcome the stalemate between Israel and the Arab states, mainly Egypt. This seminar argues that this sorry state of regional arms control can be changed by building on the NPT Review Conference's mandate, covering delivery systems as well. Instead of repeating the mistake of allowing negotiations to be dominated by the old Israeli-Arab juxtaposition, a focus on delivery systems would address the concerns of all parties in the region.

Date: Time: - Location: Suite 100, Room 106
This photo provided by Iranian state news agency Fars purports to show an Iranian Sajjil-2 surface-to-surface missile launching from a site in Semnan, Iran, May 20, 2009. The new advanced missile has a range of about 1,200 miles.

About

In 2010, the Review Conference of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) called for the establishment of a Weapons of Mass Destruction Free Zone in the Middle East and for a conference to be attended by all states from the region to be held in 2012 as a first step to facilitate this goal. The NPT Review Conference's call is not the first of its kind. Past attempts to advance regional arms control failed because negotiators could not overcome the stalemate between Israel (viewing peace as a prerequisite for nuclear disarmament) and the Arab states, mainly Egypt (viewing nuclear disarmament as a precondition for peace). This seminar argues that this sorry state of regional arms control can be changed by building on the NPT Review Conference's mandate, covering delivery systems as well. Instead of repeating the mistake of allowing negotiations to be dominated by the old Israeli-Arab juxtaposition, a focus on delivery systems would address the concerns of all parties in the region, since (Arab and Iranian) missiles are central to the Israeli threat perceptions, whereas (Israeli) warplanes are central to Arab and Iranian threat perceptions. Existing international agreements in the conventional realm allow for an incremental disarmament process, particularly affecting the missile issue.

Please join us! Coffee and tea provided. Everyone is welcome, but admittance will be on a first come–first served basis.