NATO Defense College Research Paper No 20, June 2005 - 'NATO and the Middle East Peace Process - Scenarios of Possibilities and Risks'

Click to read: NATO Defense College Research Paper No 20, June 2005 - 'NATO and the Middle East Peace Process - Scenarios of Possibilities and Risks'

This paper was written by a Visiting Fellow to the NDC from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Cairo. It has the limited aims of explaining NATO's lack of involvement in the Arab-Israeli peace process and to look at a potential role. The options and possibilities offered have little justification and at first sight some appear to be extremely doubtful. The explanation of NATO's reluctance whilst true lacks any depth of argument. This is equally true of the arguments put forward reflecting those in favour of NATO involvement in the Arab-Israeli process and those who are against it. In posing the question as to whether NATO can be a partner in the process, the
paper notes the 3 conditions defined by the NATO Sec Gen, none of which have been achieved and the prospects are not good. NATO does not enjoy wide support in the region.

This paper is of doubtful value as it is superficial and does not recognise the preeminence of the US in the process. The idea that reviving US-European (EU?) relations post-Iraq might lead to a NATO role is a questionable proposition. Diplomatically the US always acts directly, not through NATO, and any NATO role would inevitably be decided by the US and their would need to be a UN mandate.