(Center for Strategic and International Studies) Jon B. Alterman - The agreement between Israel and the UAE is more significant for the Arab world than it is for Israel. Israelis may derive a certain amount of emotional security from feeling less isolated in the region, and they may get some marginal advantages that they could not have obtained otherwise in their struggle with Iran. But this will radically change the way Arab states will deal with each other and their problems. The Emiratis believe they have the strength and self-confidence to deal with any country in the world bilaterally, without 20 other countries standing behind them. I would expect other states to act more unilaterally going forward as well. Arguably the Iranians will feel more surrounded when their adversaries are cooperating more closely, but in point of fact, the Emiratis were not about to start a war with Iran before, and they are not about to now. The writer is Director of the Middle East Program at the CSIS in Washington.
2020-09-17 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive