Location
Military and Diplomacy
Level of Education
Graduate
Keywords
Abraham Accords, defense, security, Israel, MENA, United States, United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Iran, Saudi Arabia, air, terrorists, Middle East Air Defense
Abstract
Defense organization in the Middle East North Africa (MENA) region has been historically fraught with instability and conflict, rooted in tensions ranging from centuries-old religious disputes to modern geopolitical power struggles. However, two years ago deep-seated status quos in the area were challenged and successfully overcome through the drafting and signage of agreements in which Arab nations normalized ties with the nation of Israel, popularly known as the Abraham Accords. The Accords emphasized the mutual desire for peace and prosperity in MENA between signees with a pointed reference to maintaining security in the traditionally volatile region. These pivotal feats of diplomacy opened the door to a previously unthinkable venture in which prominent MENA nations could legitimately explore a regional security cooperation with collective defense guarantees, or a “Middle Eastern NATO.” Many challenges would hinder the pursuit of such a defensive alliance, including those that obstructed the Accords on which such a cooperation would be based, but the United States in particular is well-positioned to help prevail over those very obstacles in the early stages of the coalition. Several pertinent action steps must be taken in the coming years to achieve the aforementioned goal by taking advantage of the once-in-a-generation opportunity presented by the Abraham Accords, followed by long-term, further-reaching goals which would establish a security conglomerate in the Middle East that is built to last.
Included in
Defense and Security Studies Commons, International Relations Commons, Near and Middle Eastern Studies Commons
Middle Eastern Defense: The Role of the Abraham Accords
Military and Diplomacy
Defense organization in the Middle East North Africa (MENA) region has been historically fraught with instability and conflict, rooted in tensions ranging from centuries-old religious disputes to modern geopolitical power struggles. However, two years ago deep-seated status quos in the area were challenged and successfully overcome through the drafting and signage of agreements in which Arab nations normalized ties with the nation of Israel, popularly known as the Abraham Accords. The Accords emphasized the mutual desire for peace and prosperity in MENA between signees with a pointed reference to maintaining security in the traditionally volatile region. These pivotal feats of diplomacy opened the door to a previously unthinkable venture in which prominent MENA nations could legitimately explore a regional security cooperation with collective defense guarantees, or a “Middle Eastern NATO.” Many challenges would hinder the pursuit of such a defensive alliance, including those that obstructed the Accords on which such a cooperation would be based, but the United States in particular is well-positioned to help prevail over those very obstacles in the early stages of the coalition. Several pertinent action steps must be taken in the coming years to achieve the aforementioned goal by taking advantage of the once-in-a-generation opportunity presented by the Abraham Accords, followed by long-term, further-reaching goals which would establish a security conglomerate in the Middle East that is built to last.
