Regional Organizations and International Peace and Security in the Middle East

The United Nations Charter and the actual practice of states in the past years have stressed on the importance of the role of regional organizations in maintaining international peace and security. On the other hand, The United Nations and the Security Council alone cannot deal with international crises. Thus, the cooperation between the United Nations and regional organizations could solve regional and even global crises. Middle East is of strategic importance because of the historical and cultural background and having oil reserves. This area has been the center of major crisis in two the past decades. Experience has shown that the presence of trans-regional powers or building up international coalitions in the absence of regional powers will not help to resolve the crisis in the region. Considering the accepted roles of regional organizations in maintaining international peace and security in the region by the UN Charter, using the potential of regional organizations such as the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf, the Arab League, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation seems necessary. However, due to the inefficiency of some of these organizations, the establishment of regional organizations with special competence in the area of peace and security in the Middle East could also be pursued by region countries.