ABSTRACT

Since the end of the Second World War, the Middle East has often found itself at the focal point of discussions on global governance, peace, stability and security. The reasons for this are manifold. On one hand, the Middle East constituted a major source for global energy needs, which made access to the region’s natural resources essential for global economic development. The resultant twentieth-century global geopolitical conflicts that played out in the region left the Middle East with a legacy of armaments and weapons stockpiles that continue to plague the region in the form of on-going violence.