1st Edition

Arms Control and Missile Proliferation in the Middle East

Edited By Bernd Kubbig, Sven-Eric Fikenscher Copyright 2012
    358 Pages
    by Routledge

    360 Pages
    by Routledge

    This edited volume provides a systematic analysis of the missile threat and proliferation issue in the Middle East region. The question of how to increase the level of security in the Middle East is not a new one, given the conflict-ridden nature of the region. The solution attempted for this predicament has typically revolved around intense arms build-ups, a strategy which can prove self-defeating due to the subsequent countermeasures employed by neighbouring states. Arms Control and Missile Proliferation in the Middle East focuses on the strategic proliferation of arms, with a specific emphasis on missiles. This unique emphasis enables the contributors to provide a dynamic new perspective on conceptual and political disarmament efforts, thereby distinguishing this volume from many other related works on the region, which deal mainly with weapons of mass destruction. The book also explores the possibility of a reduction in weapon arsenals, examining a more promising cooperative security concept which includes confidence- and security-building measures (CSBMs). This book will be of much interest to students of arms control, Middle Eastern politics, Gulf Security, war and conflict studies, security studies and IR.

    1. Introduction: Setting the Stage: Decreasing the Security Dilemma by Gradual Missile Reductions  Part 1: Missiles and Their Proliferation as a Threat  2. Lessons from the Arms Control and Regional Security Talks  3. Missiles in the Middle East: Their Destabilizing Role  Part 2: Conditions for a Successful Step-by-Step Approach  4. Taking Overall Military Asymmetries into Account: Objections from the Arab World and Iran  5. Taking Israel’s Security Interests into Account: Deterrence Policy in a Changing Strategic Environment  6. Advancing the Control of Weapons of Mass Destruction: An Incremental Approach  7. From (Potential) Spoilers to Guarantors? The Role of External Powers  8. The Verification Challenge: Concepts, Requirements, and Technologies  9. The Prospects for Disarmament: The Case of Hezbollah  10. Designing Disarmament Strategies: The Case of Hamas  Part 3: Three Milestones towards a Missile Free Zone  11. The Promise of Military Transparency: Building on Past Experiences and the UN Register of Conventional Arms  12. The Missile Technology Control Regime, the Hague Code of Conduct, and Missile Proliferation  13. Caps and Bans: Limiting, Reducing, and Prohibiting Missiles and Missile Defence  14. Conclusion: The Stage Reconsidered: Findings, Concluding Remarks, and Research Perspectives  15. Apendix: The Arsenals of Actors Relevant to a Missile Free Zone in the Middle East/Gulf

    Biography

    Bernd W. Kubbig is Project Director at the Peace Research Institute Frankfurt (HSFK/PRIF), Adj. Professor at Goethe University, Frankfurt, and Coordinator of the Academic Peace Orchestra Middle East.



    Sven-Eric Fikenscher is a Research Fellow at Goethe University, Frankfurt. He was a Research Assistant at the Peace Research Institute Frankfurt (HSFK/PRIF) from 2006-11 and on the staff of the Academic Peace Orchestra Middle East.

    ‘With contributions from 39 researchers, this collection plows new ground in explaining the daunting challenge of curbing missile proliferation in the Middle East... The book renders an important service in breaking down the motives and perspectives of the individual regional states and nonstate actors.’ -- Greg Thielmann, Arms Control Association, April 2012