When Neorealism Meets the Middle East: Iran's Pursuit of Nuclear Weapons in (Regional) Context | INSS
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Strategic Assessment

Home Strategic Assessment When Neorealism Meets the Middle East: Iran's Pursuit of Nuclear Weapons in (Regional) Context

When Neorealism Meets the Middle East: Iran's Pursuit of Nuclear Weapons in (Regional) Context

Research Forum | October 2012
Emily B. Landau

Challenging a recent article on Iran’s nuclear ambitions by neorealist Kenneth Waltz, this essay explores the reasons underlying the attempts by regional states to develop nuclear weapons programs; how these states have related to Israel’s nuclear policy over the years, including steps Israel has taken to stop other states from going nuclear; and the overall importance of focusing on the nature of interstate relations in the Middle East in any attempt to explain their strategic calculations, including with regard to nuclear weapons development. Against this backdrop, it will become clear why the particular case of Iran becoming a nuclear state defies simplistic neorealist prescripts, and that the operational conclusions derived from these prescripts are certainly not the best solution for this ongoing crisis.


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  • Research

    • Topics
      • Israel and the Global Powers
      • Israel-United States Relations
      • Glazer Israel-China Policy Center
      • Russia
      • Europe
      • Antisemitism and Delegitimization
      • Iran and the Shi'ite Axis
      • Operation Roaring Lion
      • Iran
      • Lebanon and Hezbollah
      • Syria
      • Yemen and the Houthi Movement
      • Iraq and the Iraqi Shiite Militias
      • Conflict to Agreements
      • Israeli-Palestinian Relations
      • Hamas and the Gaza Strip
      • Peace Agreements and Normalization in the Middle East
      • Saudi Arabia and the Gulf States
      • Turkey
      • Egypt
      • Jordan
      • Israel’s National Security Policy
      • Military and Strategic Affairs
      • Societal Resilience and the Israeli Society
      • Jewish-Arab Relations in Israel
      • Climate, Infrastructure and Energy
      • Terrorism and Low Intensity Conflict
      • Cross-Arena Research
      • Data Analytics Center
      • Law and National Security
      • Advanced Technologies and National Security
      • Foreign Information Manipulation and Interference
      • Economics and National Security
    • Projects
      • Preventing the Slide into a One-State Reality
  • Publications

    • All Publications
    • INSS Insight
    • Policy Papers
    • Special Publication
    • Strategic Assessment
    • Technology Platform
    • Memoranda
    • Database
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    • Books
    • Archive
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    • Research Disciplines
    • Chairman of the Board
    • Board of Directors
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    • Privacy Policy and Terms of Use
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