Could NATO realistically consider a meaningful mission in the Middle East? A new research paper by the NATO Defense College attempts to take the debate to a different level and argues that aside from important political considerations, operational aspects add a crucial dimension to it that has hitherto been neglected.

Factors such as local security, force structures, challenges of a demanding terrain and a volatile political setting create a complex and challenging environment that NATO may well not be best suited for. Although a best-case scenario is indeed imaginable, a worst-case setting could include the return of violence and NATO sandwiched between Israelis and Palestinians.

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