An ASEAN for the Gulf?
Posted Sunday 5 December, 18:20 Bahrain time
By Dr Andrew Parasiliti, Executive Director IISS-US, Corresponding Director IISS-Middle East
The 7th
IISS Regional Security Summit closed with Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt
and HRH Prince Turki Al Faisal bin Abdulaziz speaking on “The Changing Nature of
Regional Security.” Bildt said that the need for a regional security structure
in the Gulf, modeled on ASEAN, is both possible and necessary. He described the
blending of globalization and regional security in the Gulf. Prince Turki
proposed that the Middle East be free of nuclear weapons – a recurring theme
among some of the Dialogue speakers. The discussion highlighted security
challenges that are both international and regional, as well as both new and old
– the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, questions about Iran’s nuclear weapons, and
cyber security, among other issues.
