Saudi Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences (SJHSS)
Volume-4 | Issue-02 | 69-82
Review Article
Arab National Security (Dimensions, Perceptions, Challenges, Risks and Future Strategy)
Dr. Mohammad Salim Al-Rawashdeh
Published : Feb. 14, 2019
Abstract
Security is a cornerstone of development and progress in a free society. A basic and widespread understanding of the
importance of security as a guarantee of citizens’ well-being and the stability of the State itself is therefore essential.
Moreover, the Middle East is home to many diverse peoples, with ancient and proud cultures, in varying stages of
political and socio-economic development, often times in conflict. Now in a state of historic flux, the Arab Spring has
transformed the Middle Eastern landscape, with great consequence for the Arab national security strategies of the
neighboring countries and their foreign relations. The Arab National security environment in the Arab World has become
increasingly complicated after the independence. This paper identifies several important trends that are shaping the Arab
national security and identifies their implications with the rest of the world However; ongoing domestic changes
throughout the region will become increasingly important as well. Issues such as political reform, Arab spring revolution,
economic reform, civil-military relations, leadership change, and the information revolution are all affecting the regional
security dynamics. This research paper examines each of these issue areas and identifies some of the challenges that they
pose for the Arab world international relations. The paper covered, Dimensions, perceptions, risks and future strategy
security; challenges of natural geography; political contestation following the Arab Spring and state responses; the
military tool; armed non-state actors; US Middle East policy; regional security architecture; and the historical role of the
army in Middle East state-building. The National security is a concept that a government, along with its parliaments,
should protect the state and its citizens against all kind of "national" crises through a variety of power projections, such as
political power, diplomacy, economic power, military might, and so on.