in West Asia

West Asia today is engulfed in greater violence and instability than ever before. With failed or failing governments the control of Arab countries is shifting to the hands of Islamist fundamentalist armed militias or similar militant organisations. West Asia is in a state of violent ferment and today radically opposed to the United States and the West.States like Syria and Iran which perceive threats of pre-emptive military intervention by the United States are employing proxies like the Hezbollah and Hamas to keep the United States diverted and occupied in other theatres.

A major part of their success, towards this aim, arises from keeping the United States and EU-NATO disunited in their approaches to West Asian security challenges. Similar divisions in approaches within the EU-NATO combine are exploited.

Thisis reflected in the respective approaches of the United States and EU-NATO to the question of the Iranian nuclear programme issues, the UN Resolutions enforcement in West Asia and particularly in Lebanon and lastly the present challenge of finding strong contingents from EU-NATO countries to ensure the evacuation of Hezbollah forces from Southern Lebanon.

The present roots of instability in West Asia now seem to lie in Iran and Syria primarily. The Russian and Chinese strategic interests in both Syria and Iran cannot be ignored. The Chinese connection to the increased rocket attacks by the Hezbollah in Israel, facilitated by Iran, needs detailed investigation.

Concluding Observations

Israel is crucial for West Asian security in relation to the national security interests of EU-NATO countries as it is for the United States. So