Balancing deterrence: Iran-Israel
relations in a turbulent
Middle East
Nora Maher
Department of Political Science, Faculty of Business Administration, Economics
and Political Science (BAEPS), British University in Egypt, Cairo, Egypt
Abstract
Purpose – This paper aims to examine the regional dynamics that further consolidated Israel’s national
security in the Middle East in the aftermath of the Arab Spring, reflecting upon the nuclear challenge between
Iran and Israel and Iran’s expanding activities in the region.
Design/methodology/approach – To prove the central argument, the study uses a conceptual
framework that centers on deterrence as the main approach used by states to consolidate their influence in the
Middle East region.
Findings – Iran’s nuclear progress and influence in the region has strengthened Israel’s security and
fostered an unprecedented open rapprochement led by USA efforts with the Gulf regimes.
Originality/value – The paper draws particular attention to the Iran–Israel nuclear competency, and the
Israeli preferred policy options regarding Iranian activities in the region amid turbulent Middle East. In
addition, the paper offers insight to the regional dynamics that further consolidated Israel’s national security
in the region while maintaining a status of Arab vulnerability and backwardness.
Keywords Iran, Israel, Deterrence, Iran-Israel relations, Nuclear competency, Regional security
Paper type Research paper
Introduction
The wave of mass protests that spread across the Arab countries consecutively in 2011 have
rapidly developed into full scale revolutionary upheavals that toppled regimes, overthrew
rulers and resulted in substantial change in the Middle East region.
Amid this turbulent environment, Israel stood skeptic to the wind of change from the
onset of the revolutionary phase, nevertheless, wary of the impact these consecutive waves
might have on Israel national security. The Middle East post the Arab Spring has
undergone several profound changes; rapid developments and prolonged instability in the
region has brought about the actions of outside actors, which subsequently had severe
repercussions on regional security.
Iran’s growing activism in the Middle East, in the aftermath of the Arab revolutionary
waves (the Arab Spring), has sent shock waves in the Gulf region. However, concerns about
Iran are not confined only to its declared entrenchment strategy, more importantly; it is
© Nora Maher. Published in Review of Economics and Political Science. Published by Emerald
Publishing Limited. This article is published under the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY 4.0)
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legalcode
REPS
8,3
226
Received 13 June 2019
Revised 16 September 2019
Accepted 17 January 2020
Review of Economics and Political
Science
Vol. 8 No. 3, 2023
pp. 226-245
Emerald Publishing Limited
e-ISSN: 2631-3561
p-ISSN: 2356-9980
DOI 10.1108/REPS-06-2019-0085
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available on Emerald Insight at:
https://www.emerald.com/insight/2631-3561.htm
