The establishment of a Middle East zone free of nuclear weapons, a concept more recently broadened to cover all weapons of mass destruction (WMD), has been before the international community for decades. In this book, two experts from the region explore why the matter remains unresolved, and outline a comprehensive yet achievable roadmap to a Middle East free of WMD.
Weapons of mass destruction pose an existential threat to global peace and security. But nowhere is it more urgent to stem their spread than in the Middle East, a region fraught with mistrust and instability. Accounting for these geopolitical realities, including the ongoing talks to curb Iran's nuclear program, the authors present a practical and innovative strategy to a Middle East free of weapons of mass destructions (WMD). They outline a phased approach toward disarmament in the region, prescribing confidence-building measures and verification tools to create trust among the region's governments. Their vision also sees the realization of a WMD-free zone within a broader regional agenda for security and cooperation to advance socioeconomic and political progress.
This book will be of great interest to students and scholars of international relations, politics and security studies in the Middle East.
Seyed Hossein Mousavian is a Middle East security and nuclear policy specialist at the Program on Science and Global Security. He is a former diplomat who served as Iran's ambassador to Germany (1990-1997), head of the Foreign Relations Committee of Iran's National Security Council (1997-2005), spokesman for Iran in its nuclear negotiations with the international community (2003-2005), foreign policy advisor to the secretary of the Supreme National Security Council (2005-2007), vice president of the Center for Strategic Research for International Affairs (2005-2009), general director of foreign ministry for West Europe (1987-1990), chief of parliament administration (1984-1986), and editor-in-chief of the English-language international newspaper Tehran Times (1980-1990). Mousavian earned a PhD in international relations from the University of Kent, U.K.
Emad Kiyaei is a principal at the international consulting firm IGD Group, where he provides political, business, and civil society leaders with strategic advise in the intersection of political risk, disarmament, and diplomacy. He is also a director at the Middle East Treaty Organization (METO), which seeks to eradicate all weapons of mass destruction from the Middle East through innovative policy, advocacy, and educational programs.
He lectures and participates at conferences on the Middle East and disarmament issues at various academic and policy institutions. Formerly, he was a researcher for Princeton University's Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs and an associate at Columbia University's Center for International Conflict Resolution (CICR). Emad served as executive director of the American Iranian Council (AIC), an educational organization that focuses on U.S.-Iran relations. He holds a master's of international affairs from Columbia University School of International and Public Affairs, USA.
