Arab-Israeli Military/Political Relations: Arab Perceptions and the Politics of Escalation examines the escalatory patterns of Israel's relations with Arab countries, paying particular attention to the preconditions, conditions, and ultimate precipitants of wars that have broken out with some repetitiveness in the Middle East. The impact of the October 1973 War (known as the Yom Kippur War in the West and the Ramadan War in Arab countries) on the United States interests in the Middle East is also assessed. This book is comprised of seven chapters and opens with an overview of the October War; those Arab states actually involved in the war, especially Egypt and Syria; and those Arab states having geographical access to either the Mediterranean or Indian Oceans, including the oil-producing states. The wider political and military implications of the war are discussed, with specific reference to super power interests. The following chapters discuss the perceptual context of Arab politics; the wars of 1967 and 1973 and the impact of Arab conflict imagery on an inherently escalatory situation; the consequences and lessons of the June 1967 war, or Six-Day War; and Arab coalition politics between 1970 and 1973. The final two chapters focus on the combined Egyptian-Syrian battle plan, code-named Operation Badr, and the historical and political implications of the 1973 war. This monograph will be of interest to diplomats, policymakers, and government officials concerned with the politics of war and in international relations more generally.
