ABSTRACT

The Middle East is a region in which war or the threat of war has become commonplace. It is also a region riven with animosity – most obviously that which divides Israel from its Arab neighbours. These characteristics have survived the end of the Cold War and thus there is a good deal of continuity apparent in regional foreign policies. That said, the end of the Cold War did also mark an important watershed both for the region and for the two states considered here – Iran and Israel. This chapter will argue that the demise of the Cold War was, in fact, only one of a number of changes that have impacted upon the states of the region; all, however, have posed foreign policy challenges and have, as a consequence, given rise to debate and efforts at policy adaptation.