Update

Search for Common Ground in the Middle East

The events of September 11 and subsequent anthrax attacks in the United States prompted the Security Working Group to launch a new initiative on responding to the threat of terrorism and other incidents involving nuclear, biological, and chemical (NBC) weapons, even as it continues to grapple with the long-simmering issues of Iraq and escalating violence between Israelis and Palestinians.

The NBC response project developed from a series of recommendations made at a meeting held in November 2001 in Istanbul by a working group that, for the last six years, has been exploring ways to control and manage weapons of mass destruction in the Middle East. The group consists of security specialists and retired generals from Egypt, Iran, Israel, Jordan, Turkey, and the United States. Building on the newly heightened awareness that national boundaries have little meaning in the face of attacks involving chemical, biological or radiological weapons, the group reached a consensus that a series of measures could and should be taken that involve countries from across the region.

At a follow-up workshop held in early March 2002 in Istanbul, the group was augmented by specialists in consequence management and emergency response. The workshop took place in the midst of escalating violence between Israelis and Palestinians; nevertheless, the participants stayed focused on generating ideas for cooperation. The inputs were creative - but grounded in reality. The threat of possible biological, chemical, and radiological attacks seemed to outweigh the many reasons why states do not want to cooperate, and participants suggested a broad range of specific confidence building measures (CBMs). At the same time, they were careful to distinguish between cooperative measures that would need to await eventual regional settlements and "partial solutions" that could be implemented now. A Turkish participant noted, "You’’ve taken us out of an arms control approach and into real life."

Gayle Meyers, who became Director of Middle East Regional Security Projects in January 2002, is now leading these efforts. She replaces Ahmed Hashim, who has taken a position at the Naval War College in Newport, Rhode Island. Ms. Meyers came to Search for Common Ground from the US Department of Defense, where she worked in the Office of Counterproliferation Policy, managing an initiative to counter the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction in cooperation with Gulf states, Egypt, and Jordan.

The Common Ground News Service (CGNews) continues to expand. CGNews is an independent source of news and opinion on the Middle East created by Search for Common Ground. Since its inauguration in May 2001, CGNews has presented perspectives that, while acknowledging realities on the ground, seek to increase understanding, promote dialogue, and encourage mutual respect in the region. The Common Ground News Service now reaches over 2,000 media outlets, policy makers, NGO leaders, universities, and interested individuals. In addition, more than 100 articles distributed by CGNews have been published in major regional newspapers and online journals.

Part of this success is due to a recent initiative to increase the number and scope of commissioned articles. For instance, in November 2001, CGNews launched a series entitled "Views on Nonviolence" to present different perspectives on nonviolence in the Middle East. In partnership with the leading pan-Arab daily Al-Hayat, the Israeli daily Ha’’aretz, the Palestinian daily Al-Quds, and the Turkish daily Radikal, we commissioned and distributed 10 articles written by scholars of nonviolence, activists, Islamic philosophers, and Arab, Israeli, and Western writers. These and all other CGNew articles are available online at http://www.sfcg.org/cgnews/middle-east.cfm. To receive CGNews, visit this same website or contact us at cgnews@sfcg.org.

Additionally, we expect to have selected articles from CGNews available in Arabic shortly. To receive CGNews in Arabic, e-mail us at cgnews@sfcg.org, subject ARABIC.

In February 2002, the Morocco Conflict Resolution Program held its first training workshop in Rabat. Participants met afterwards to form a follow-up committee and to determine the future of the overall program. The committee is tasked specifically with coordinating future activities and communicating with members of the larger group of participants.

In March, a delegation of seven Moroccan participants from management, labor, and government traveled to the US accompanied by SFCG staff to undergo training and learn firsthand the US labor model. The group underwent two days of training in labor mediation and three full days of briefings at labor-related institutions. The participants were very inspired by their experience and felt that they gleaned many ideas that could be translated to the Moroccan context.

In December 2001, Search for Common Ground in the Middle East (SCGME) said farewell to two key members of its staff. SCGME would like to thank Rich Eisendorf, formerly the Washington Director of SCGME and also the founding editor of the Bulletin, and Julia Pitner, the former Executive Director of SCGME, for their years of service and the tremendous contributions they made to the organization and to the search for peace in the Middle East. We wish them both the very best in the future.

Bulletin of Regional Cooperation in the Middle East Winter 2001-2002
Copyright 2004 Search for Common Ground