Weapons of Mass Destruction in the Middle East ─ A New Approach to Disarmament and Non-proliferation

This book explores how and why the Weapons of Mass Destruction Free Zone in the Middle East proposal has failed to materialize to date. It identifies the current challenges in the region and explores the benefits of establishing a WMDFZ. The authors address confidence-building measures and the necessary verification model, present a new approach and roadmap for the WMDFZ project, and discuss the parameters of a ‘phased approach’, covering the entire range of WMD conventions already in place. It will be of great interest to scholars, students, policy-makers and diplomats involved in the regional security/nuclear politics of the Middle East, security studies, and nuclear non-proliferation studies. It will also appeal to policy experts in research centres who focus on the Middle East and nuclear politics.

Seyed Hossein Mousavian served for more than a quarter century as an official in Iran’s government, working on foreign and security policy. He served as Director-General of West Europe at the Foreign Ministry of Iran (1987–1990), Iran’s Ambassador to Germany (1990–1997), Head of the Foreign Relations Committee of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council (1997–2005) and spokesperson for the Iranian nuclear negotiation team (2003–2005). Mousavian is a Middle East Security and Nuclear Policy Specialist at Woodrow Wilson School of Princeton University, USA.

Emad Kiyaei is the Director of External Affairs at the American Iranian Council and researcher at Princeton University’s Woodrow Wilson School of Public & International Affairs. As Principal at IGD Group, he provides consulting services to public and private sector in the field of political risk, security policy and mediation.