ABSTRACT
As previously discussed, throughout most of the Cold War period NATO’s concerns in the Mediterranean as a whole focused on Soviet activities. In the eastern Mediterranean the United States, in particular, was eager to lend assistance and support to Israel. By the 1980s, though, NATO member states in the Southern Region were becoming increasingly apprehensive about developments to their immediate south and east. These NATO states had become aware that economic, social, and political problems in North Africa could have wider negative consequences for the security and stability of the Mediterranean. In the same period, Turkey was forced to focus more on its relations with Iran, Iraq, and Syria as the Kurdish problem attracted more attention. The possible threat posed by ballistic missiles and WMD in the hands of Arab governments or Iran was being discussed in NATO circles. A debate had begun between various NATO member states concerning the out-of-area issue, although NATO as an organization was not perceived as equipped to handle problems out-of-area.
