Confidence building measures in the Middle East

Confidence Building Measures (CBMs) were pioneered in Europe at the height of the Cold War. The immediate goal of such measures is to create enough trust between parties in international conflicts to avoid mutually unfavorable - sometimes dangerous - outcomes due to misunderstandings. The long-term goal of CBMs is to move the contending parties closer to a resolution of their more fundamental differences.

Such measures were successful in Europe, some say, because the situation was relatively stable and the parties were motivated to maintain peaceful relations. In this book, leading Middle East scholars and international security specialists assess whether confidence building measures can be applied in a region where the various factions have not yet decided that peaceful coexistence is a desirable goal. Indeed, in some cases, the respective parties refuse to recognize the other's right to exist.

The contributors explore the various components of successful CBM agreements - such as open communication, arms control initiatives, verification and monitoring programs, and conflict resolution protocols - and assess how successful such incremental steps might be in the Middle East. The Israelis and the Palestinians are currently trying to implement CBMs, and this volume provides a critical perspective on those historic initiatives.