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Israel's Strategic Challenges in a Changing Middle East

[Washington Institute for Near East Policy] Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. Sallai Meridor - Iran has ambitions to control the region, confront the West, and change the world order. Lebanon has become a microcosm of the conflict, and the entire world is passively watching. It is the world's challenge to ensure that Lebanon does not fall into the hands of Iran and Syria. One positive development is the emerging similarity of interests between Israel and most moderate Arab countries. In the aftermath of the recent war with Hizballah, these similarities include unfavorable perceptions of Iran, the desire for stability in the region, and the need to fight terror and confront extremism. An analysis of shared adversaries and friends reveals a high degree of affinity between Israel and moderate Arab states. The challenge lies in building on these shared interests to improve the relationship between Israel and Arab states, to work together against the negative influence of Iran, and to inspire Arab states to help Palestinian moderates change course and move toward peace. Iran's acquisition of a military nuclear capacity would endanger the stability of all the moderate states in the region. Iran sees such moderate actors as obsolete at best, and shameful traitors to Islam at worst. If Iran controlled the region and its oil, the price the world would have to pay would not be just monetary: it would be political and moral blackmail. Moreover, with a nuclear shield and long-range missiles, Iran would act in the West and against the West through incitement, subversion, and terror. The Iranian regime sees in every Muslim a legitimate Iranian concern and interest; for example, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has repeatedly voiced his concerns about the violation of religious minority rights in Europe. Second, Iran maintains that the Islamic revolution should not stay within the boundaries of the Middle East. Confronted with the most severe threat since World War II, the world should get its act together in order to avoid repeating the mistakes of the 1930s.
2006-12-15 01:00:00
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