Once upon a time, at the height of the Cold War, regional alliances were easily pictured. On one half of the court stood the United States, with Turkey as a NATO member, Iran as the guardian of the Persian Gulf and Israel as the strongest power in the Eastern Mediterranean. Also on this list - Jordan, Saudi Arabia and at times weak Lebanon. On the other side - the Soviet Union with the more radical Arab states, such as Iraq, Syria and South Yemen. Egypt moved towards the Western camp just as Iran moved out of it. That was then; But now it is much more difficult to freeze-frame the state of alliances in the Middle East. Israel is of course a stalwart American partner, and so is Egypt under the current regime, but can Turkey and Saudi Arabia be safely said to belong there? And are Iran and Syria friends with each other, or mere Russian clients? And what is China’s role in this game?
In an attempt to make sense of it – we are joined from elsewhere here in Jerusalem Mr. Eran Etzion Former Deputy Head of Israel’s National Security Council, Dr. Nir Boms, Research fellow at Moshe Dayan center at Tel Aviv University, and Amir Oren.
