Security in the M.E. is a dynamic concept that is developed on the basis of threat perceptions and defence requirements of the states in the region. The development of a regional security and arms control framework has always been a particularly difficult and daunting task due to the multi-polar nature of the region. All through the 20^th Century, the M.E. has been, and still is, plagued with competing centers of power, internally and externally, which manipulate a number of deeply rooted ethnic, national, and religious conflicts, notwithstanding the painful process of liberation and decolonization that many countries in the region had to go through and is still part of the collective national memory of these nations.

Today, the Middle East is poised at yet another critical juncture in its long and turbulent history. With the recent rapid changes in the security structure of the region, all the regional powers are cautiously re-assessing their political strengths and weaknesses and re-evaluating their perceptions of threats and challenges.