Building Regional Security in the Middle East: Domestic, Regional and International Influences

Many scholars in international relations have suggested that the goal of fostering regional security can be furthered through the creation of multilateral webs of relationships, called security structures. These regional security structures are envisioned as a basis upon which groups of states can form mutually beneficial long-term relationships. This discourse took on a new importance in the last 20 years of the 20th century, and especially following new challenges in international security in recent years. Discussions on regional security were initiated in the Middle East in 1992, as part of the Middle East peace process. The collapse of the Oslo process and other regional developments in the latter half of the 1990s have diminished hopes that the initial gains made in this direction might further develop, as violence has again become the primary mode of effecting political changes in the region. On the backdrop of this somewhat dismal current reality in the Middle East the rationale for this volume is thatresearch into regional security structures should nevertheless be pursued. When looking at the long term process of creating regional security, setbacks are not unlikely. The articles that make up this collection focus on the problems that have been encountered, and possible directions for getting regional efforts back on track.