Translator: Davood Salehan
Source: rasekhoon.net
Source: rasekhoon.net
The idea of the new Middle East in its today concept was raised by Bernard Lewis in the fall of 1992 for the first time in the Foreign Affairs journal in an article entitled Rethinking of Middle East.
The author of the article said that in the 90s and after the Persian Gulf War, the collapse of the Soviet Union, end of the Cold War, and the establishment of new independent states created fundamental changes in the context of the Middle East.
After him, Shimon Peres published The New Middle East book in 1993 where he mentioned comprehensive view of Israel's goals and aspirations for the future of the Middle East region. The details are as follows:
1) of the main goals of thinking of the new Middle East is Israel's acquisition of peaceful coexistence with Arab neighbors. Israel believes if he wants to ensure his security at this time, he has to look forward creation of a peaceful coexistence with the Arab countries and other countries in the world.
2) On the other hand, in the new Middle East thought of this country economic relations have to have more importance than development of political relations. This means that Israel as a strategic ally of the US in new situations in the world after the collapse of communism shall endeavor to participate in financial markets in the Middle East in some way; of course Israel's aim is not only economic cooperation with Arab countries of Middle East, but it calls for large regional economic cooperation and mingle in the Middle East, and so far, Israeli economic influence and managements in the Middle East have been in a way that many countries willingly or unwillingly have been involved in the domination.
Shimon Peres considers signing peace agreements with the Arabs, peace between Jordan and Israel, the Oslo and Wadi Arab peace narrations (that finally led to an agreement between Israel and Jordan and the Palestinians) bilateral economic agreements and decisions of the Arab and Israel officials in Middle East economic conference all as steps to win the idea of creating a new Middle East in his book.
Perez believes that to manage such an idea, all religious ideals and beliefs should be aside and create new regional union for the Middle East by making new institutions and applying bilateral or multilateral projects; and in this regard, the United States has considered a special place for Israel in applying the doctrine of international order which is Israel's crossing to the United States.
Israel, with having advanced economic base and structure and superiority to Arab and non-Arab countries in the fields of industry and agriculture and relation with the global economy, especially with the US and Jewish capitalists, market organizations and propaganda means, has the upper hand in the economic interaction of area in the New Middle East's bed.
In fact, one of the Israeli objectives in the new Middle East is the expansion of trade and business transactions with the regional countries with the aim of economic domination so that in the economic, the concept of Greater Israel and idea of Nile to the Euphrates will be realized.
It seems that in the new Middle East, Israel is seeking to tie Arab economic lifelines, water, oil, culture and tourism to their economy and in this regard, according the region's capacities, the regime follows specific intentions in frameworks of tourism, water resources and cultural hegemony.