Dismantling the Arab wall around Israel: Geopolitical dynamics of system change in the Middle East

The Middle East state system has been defined not only by its multipolar structure but also by the exclusion of the region's hegemonic power: the prohibition against Israel interacting normally inside its regional environment. The system which formed was marked by a distinct inter-Arab balance of power within the larger Arab-Israeli balance---a two-tiered structure separated by an Arab wall of exclusion that cordoned off Israel and shielded the Arab world from all forms of Israeli power and influence except in the military sphere. In this context the dissertation examines from a larger international relations perspective the strategic significance of Israel's paramount objective of normalizing its relations with Arab regional states as the endgame to the Arab-Israeli conflict. The study delves into the long historical processes that have led the Arab world or subsystem, including the Palestinian element, to dismantle the Arab wall of exclusion and begin to accept Israel as a permanent and legitimate state actor. The most important process has been the Arabs' experience of regress in their strategic position as the Arab subsystem pursued its initial objective of destroying Israel. The work concludes by discussing the present-day consequences of re-constructed identities among the primary Middle East international political actors as a result of the Arab-Israeli conflict, and the strategic significance of admitting Israel as a new hegemon into the regional state system.