Nuclear Weapons and Arms Control in the Middle East

Overview

"Shai Feldman has produced a comprehensive and invaluable study of nuclear arms control in the Middle East. This essential reference captures the key arms control issues in this highly dynamic region and will contribute importantly to efforts that seek the achievement of lasting peace in the Middle East."

—David Albright, President, Institute for Science and International Security (ISIS), Washington, D.C.

"...essential reading to put the Middle East arms control process back on track."

—Dr. Lewis A. Dunn, Former Assistant Director, U.S. Arms Control and Disarmament Agency, Ambassador to the 1985 NPT Review Conference

"An important contribution to the debate about Middle East arms control. Shai Feldman demonstrates his mastery of the subject, including some extremely important and interesting material on Arab conceptions and attitudes. A welcome counterpoint to much of the Western literature on the nuclear dimension of the Middle East arms control."
-- Geoffrey Kemp, Nixon Center for Peace and Freedom

The political dimensions of the Arab-Israeli relationship have changed dramatically in recent years. Israel and its Arab neighbors have made remarkable progress toward resolving long-standing conflicts. In Nuclear Weapons and Arms Control in the Middle East, Shai Feldman considers whether these political breakthroughs have set the stage for agreements on controlling nuclear weapons in the region. He presents a richly detailed overview of the current situation and lays out an agenda for future efforts to reduce the risk of nuclear war in the Middle East.

Feldman, whose background in strategic studies includes nearly two decades of research at Tel Aviv University's Jaffee Center for Strategic Studies, provides a comprehensive analysis of the nuclear programs of Algeria, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Libya, and Syria. He presents a detailed picture of how Israel and the Arab states view nuclear weapons -- their utility, and the threats they pose to regional security -- and explores the different approaches that Israel and the Arab states have adopted toward nuclear arms control. Feldman concludes by suggesting interim measures that might help bridge the gap between these different perspectives.

Shai Feldman is Head of the  Jaffee Center for Strategic Studies at Tel Aviv University. He is co-author of Track-II Diplomacy: Lessons from the Middle East and Ecopolitics: Changing the Regional Context of Arab-Israeli Peacemaking.