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Contributed papers presented at a three day international conference titled "Changing Security Dynamics in West Asia: Implications for the Post-9/11 International Systemic", organized by Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses, New Delhi, India, from Jan. 30 to Feb. 1, 2006

Setting the theme : West Asia and the region : defining India's role -- The larger picture : political -- The larger picture : energy and economic -- The larger picture : culture -- Role of great powers in the region -- Iraq -- Turkey -- Lebanon -- West Asia peace process : Israel and its neighbours -- India's bilateral relations -- Cultural dimension -- Afterword

The authors point out that when compared to the scholarly efforts Israeli institutions of higher learning invest in the study of the Middle East, research into South, Southeast and East Asia still takes on secondary significance. They briefly explore East, South and Southeast studies and research at various universities of Israel and libraries in Israel that cater for Asian studies. (DÜI-Sen)

This article comments on a collection of articles (in this issue) dealing with the status of science in the Arab world. The author stresses first the interest to bring fresh and accurate data on this region, where S&T institutions are rapidly changing and poorly documented. A second main point is that in such intermediary countries, where the institutionalisation of science is in progress, usual concepts like 'scientific communities', research and innovation 'systems' or 'the role of the scientist' do not readily apply. Other notions have to be coined to account for the motivations of the actors, the aim of policies and the paths to change. Finally the article distinguishes a variety of scientific landscapes, from Maghreb to the Gulf States. It insists on two main factors of dynamics: the social grounding of science, which derives from images of knowledge and from the ambient values; and the social support science has acquired (through an implicit alliance with specific groups).

Die Verfügung über Atomwaffen wird von den Staaten Westasiens nicht zuletzt wegen der latenten atomaren Bedrohung durch Israel angestrebt. Die beherrschende Stellung Israels soll durch eine verstärkte Zusammenarbeit mit China relativiert werden. Der Artikel untersucht die Auswirkungen der fortschreitenden atomaren Bewaffnung Westasiens auf die israelische Atom-Strategie, die seit den sechziger Jahren auf Abschreckung durch Verschleierung des realen Nuklear-Potentials setzt. (DÜI-Gbh)