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Arms Control in the Middle East
Cooperative Security Dialogue and Regional Constraints

Emily B. Landau
Author text to follow

“This book is an analysis of unofficial, or Track II, diplomacy on arms control in the Middle East during the 1990s. The study pays particular attention to Egypt, which has long called for a nuclear weapons-free zone in the Middle East. Track II arms control diplomacy from 1992 to1995 came to be known as the Arms Control and Regional Security working group or ACRS. Unfortunately, as Landau notes, the series of unofficial talks eventually broke down. Egypt insisted that Israel discuss its non-declared nuclear weapons capabilities while Israeli delegations argued that conventional forces and regional peace treaties had to be discussed before the nuclear issue could be tackled. Landau discusses Egypt’s frustrations over its inability to get other Arab states to follow Cairo’s diplomatic lead, and for Egypt to achieve the security leadership role to which it aspires in the region. This study is an important intellectual benchmark for arms control in the Middle East, a region which looks primed for even greater arms control challenges in the future. Recommended.” Choice

“ This exceptionally thorough and perceptive examination of the role of ideas and seminar diplomacy in multilateral arms control negotiations is a major contribution to international relations theory and to our understanding of Middle Eastern regional security. It shows persuasively that the 1990s Middle East arms control multilateral negotiations, which have frequently been dismissed as mere ‘talk-shops’, played a crucial role in building the conceptual and practical foundations of an institutionalized practice of arms control in the region. Emily Landau demonstrates that if there is the will one day to break the Middle East logjam, there is a way.” Prof. Emanuel Adler, Andrea and Charles Bronfman Chair in Israel Studies, University of Toronto

“ Emily Landau’s Arms Control in the Middle East is a significant contribution to understanding one of the most important issues in Middle Eastern strategic inter-state relationships, as any major progress in the politics of Israeli-Arab relations depends heavily on management of regional security issues. Landau analyzes in depth the ACRS negotiations, the first formal multilateral attempt to regulate regional security, and assesses its limited successes and ultimate failure. Her presentation combines theoretical insights with penetrating assessments of the participant states. In addition to its scholarly contribution to the fields of security studies and arms control, Landau’s book provides useful insights for future regional security arrangements.” Yair Evron, Professor Emeritus, Political Science Department, Tel Aviv University

“This significant book on the Middle East arms control presents a particular and innovative concept of arms control that was initiated in 1991 at Madrid and applied to the region. The main lesson of this interesting attempt is that arms control should be achieved by the concerned parties through regional dialogue and by addressing the security concerns of the participating states. Emily Landau’s book provides valuable conceptual and empirical ideas for decision-makers and scholars who aspire for a better Middle East.” Prof. Yaacov Bar-Siman-Tov, The Hebrew University, Jerusalem

This book focuses on the Middle East arms control process as it unfolded during the years 1992–1995, as part of the multilateral track of the Arab–Israeli peace process initiated in Madrid, October 1991. This was the story of a regional process in the making: from the very concept of arms control as applied to the region, through the innovative regional forum and format for discussion that was devised for the talks, to the dynamics of the talks and the question of Egypt’s position within this novel regional setting. The result was that what seemed at the outset to be a most likely unpromising forum became the setting of unprecedented regional dynamics.

The in-depth examination of ACRS – Arms Control Regional Security working group – engenders important insights into a number of concepts that lie at the heart of international relations studies: the notion of the strategic game, the meaning of power, the definition of security threats, the notions of hegemony and leadership, state identity, the conduct of regional politics, and the significance of cooperative processes in international relations.

Published in association with the Jaffee Center for Strategic Studies

Preface and Acknowledgments Abbreviations Introduction 1 Approaching Cooperative Security Dialogue The Structure and Dynamics of Cooperation Constructivism and Security Dialogue Strategic Interaction and the Seminar Framework (Re)defining Regional Security 2 Arms Control as a Process When Theory Meets ACRS Track II Diplomacy Refining the Arms Control Game The Case Study 3 The Middle East Arms Control Dialogue Seminar Diplomacy: A Review of the Talks Initial Conceptions of Security Framing the Security Debate 4 The Process of Arguing: Effects of the Seminar Framework Dynamics of Convergence and Divergence CSBMs: The Common Language of Arms Control An Altered Security Conception? Limited Constitutive Effect of Seminar Diplomacy on Egypt 5 Arab Nationalism and Egypt’s Leadership Identity Arabism: Ideology, Interest, or Norm? Egypt: Hegemony and Pan-Arabism Sadat’s Move for Peace The 1990s: Arabism and Egypt’s Continued Leadership Interest 6 Egypt’s Role in the Arms Control Dialogue Egypt's Agenda Framing the Arab Security Interest Securitization of the Nuclear Issue The Challenge to Egypt’s Leadership Role 7 Bilateral Dynamics within the Multilateral Framework Egypt's Ambivalent Approach The Cultural Dimension: Recognition and Respect Regional Rivals, Strategic Dialogue Partners Implications for the Nature of the Game Conclusion Notes Bibliography Index

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