Days of Future Past—The Peripheral Alliance

Abstract

In 1958, Israel and Turkey forged a top secret alliance known as “the peripheral alliance” or “Phantom Pact.” Although a third party—Iran—was also involved, this chapter concentrates mainly on the first two countries, for the following reasons: the alliance, especially its strategic aspect, had a bilateral rather than trilateral character; the Israeli-Iranian linkage has been treated by some scholars and journalists; and finally, the Israeli-Turkish alliance is more relevant to the present, as it may be considered the precursor of the strategic alignment concluded between the two countries some 40 years later, in 1996. In shedding new light on an important period in the modern history of the Middle East, this study of the peripheral alliance, through archival material, interviews, and other new material, may give a better understanding of the development of regional relations in our times and of the lines of continuity and change between the two periods.