The Security Consequences of the Abraham Accords

Abstract

In 2020, the signing of the Abraham Accords is a historic normalization of the relations between Israel and various Arab countries, including the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain. Such deals represent a dramatic change in the Middle Eastern diplomacy, whose effects go beyond bilateral affairs to regional security politics. This paper discusses the implications of the Abraham Accords on the security front, in terms of military collaboration, strategic partnerships and changes in the perception of threats. Although the Accords are vowed to be a better cooperation in security, it instead adds more tension to the ones already on the table, specifically Iran and certain groups in the Palestinian territories. In terms of developing closer relationships between Israel and Gulf states, the Accords redefine the old ways of friendship and animosity, both in terms of the classical military equilibrium and the wider geopolitical landscape. The study puts emphasis on the two-sidedness of the Accords: they present both avenues of stability and cooperation, but they also add new fault lines in an already turbulent area. By integrating qualitative analysis and synthesis of the research on the topic of regional security, this study offers an insight into how the architecture of the Middle East security has changed and offers implications to policy-makers, academics and regional stakeholders. The results indicate that the emergence of alliances should be handled with a lot of care to avoid spiral growth and a strategic balance within the region.

Keywords: Abraham Accords, Middle East Security, Israel-Gulf Relations, Regional Stability, Strategic Alliances, Geopolitics