The Middle East Weapons of Mass Destruction Free Zone: Rationale, Attitudes and Way Ahead

Kostić, Marina and Stefanović, Andrej (2021) The Middle East Weapons of Mass Destruction Free Zone: Rationale, Attitudes and Way Ahead. In: Convergence and Confrontation: The Balkans and the Middle East in the 21st Century. Institute of International Politics and Economics, Belgrade, pp. 131-165. ISBN 978-86-7067-293-2

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Abstract

The 2021 events,such as the Tenth Review Conference (RevCon) of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), the renewed Israeli Palestinian conflict, the confirmed use of chemical weapons in the conflicts in the region, and the frequent proposals for the new Biden administration to return to the jCPoa, raised the issue of the Middle East weapons of Mass Destruction Free Zone (MEwMDFZ) establishment high on the contemporary international agenda once again. The aim of this paper is to assess the prospects of the MEwMDFZ through the historical analysis of similar models, exploration of the rationale behind the MENwFZ/wMDFZ proposalsince 1974 and its development through the subsequent decades, attitudes of key stakeholders, and the possible way ahead. The authors employ historical analysis to present the evolution of the proposal on the MEwMDFZ, content analysis of the documents adopted on this issue, and a comparative method to present the key stakeholders’ points of contention and draw conclusions from similar models such as NwFZs. The authors conclude that the establishment of the MEwMDs will remain a “moving target,” but one that is necessary in order to maintain the momentum of the peace process, the credibility of the main stakeholders’ non-proliferation policy for the Middle East, and to avoid nuclear risks for the sake of the instrumental tactical interests of regional states.

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