Against all odds : relations between NATO and the MENA region /

Gaub, Florence

Against all odds : relations between NATO and the MENA region / Relations between North Atlantic Treaty Organization and the Middle East North Africa region. Florence Gaub - Carlisle, PA : Strategic Studies Institute, U.S. Army War College, 2012 - x, 37 p. ; 23 cm - Strategic Studies Institute monograph . - SSI monograph. .

"August 2012." SIP1209

Includes bibliographical references (p. 32-37)

Neighbors without contact : NATO and the MENA region before 1991 -- A new relationship between NATO and the Arab world : an overview. The Mediterranean dialogue -- The Istanbul Cooperation Initiative -- The special case : the structured security cooperation framework in Iraq -- The missing links : Libya, Syria, Lebanon, Palestine -- Obstacles on the way ahead. Addressing the problems of a negative image -- Improving understanding of the region -- A region of crisis -- Against all odds : relations between NATO and the MENA region.

While NATO was created with a primary outlook to the East, its Southern rim was neglected strategically until the end of the Cold War. Since then, the Alliance has undertaken a number of efforts to build strategic relationships with the Middle East and North Africa, recognizing the region's importance for Allied security. But obstacles are on the way to deepened relations, and geostrategic realities do not play in NATO's favor: a region of crisis, suspicious of the West in general and riddled with internal instability, is a difficult one to build ties with. This monograph examines the existing relationships as well as the remaining obstacles, and proposes solutions to the latter.

1584875356 9781584875352


NATO--national security--cooperation--East-West relations--Middle East--North Africa