ABSTRACT
Euro-Mediterranean Partnership (EMP) policies on arms control and limitations can be fully appropriate only to security problems that are characteristic of the area. This chapter discusses the varieties of arms control that might be applicable to weapons of mass destruction (WMD), to provide an Israeli perspective on this issue, and to suggest some modest but potentially significant EMP contributions. The basic objective of cooperative security is to enhance security by reducing the risk of war. Israel's approach to arms control as a vehicle for threat reduction is conditioned by its perceived threat environment, which is multi-dimensional and regional. Israel's security posture is essentially a function of its permanent quantitative inferiority in military manpower, conventional arsenals and strategic depth vis-a-vis a varying array of past, current or potential adversaries. The ultimate aspiration of EMP policies, including those on WMD, should be to help replace traditional defense postures with a comprehensive regional security system within the context of stable peace.
