Views on National Security in the Middle East

Unlike much of the rest of the world, government policy toward national security in the Middle East has generally been determined by decisions made by countries outside of the region. The Middle East, a term sometimes considered “Eurocentric” (Adelson 1995; Koppes 1976), is used to designate a region of countries at the intersection of Africa, Asia, and Europe. The region includes between 20 and 40 countries, including at least the following: Afghanistan, Algeria, Bahrain, Cyprus, Egypt, Iraq, Iran, Israel, Jordon, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Oman, Pakistan, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, and Yemen (see www.mideastweb.org for more information). The countries comprise a diverse mosaic of languages, traditions, and histories and are difficult to characterize as a group.