ABSTRACT

Chapter 3 concludes Part I by bringing together the arguments made in Chapters 1 and 2 in the attempt to illustrate further the relationship between (inventing) regions and (conceptions and practices of) security during the Cold War. Here I look at the practical manifestations of adopting particular spatial representations and the security conceptions in which they are rooted. The purpose here is not to present a comprehensive account of Middle Eastern history, but only to direct attention to those practices that were designed to achieve regional security. As a result, not all practices will be covered. Rather, the chapter will focus on those attempts to address the problem of regional security. The aim is to show how representations of the region helped to shape practice; how they enabled some practices whilst marginalising others; how they addressed some insecurities while constituting others.