Vincent Durac is Associate Professor in Middle East Politics and Development at University College Dublin, Ireland. Francesco Cavatorta is Professor of Political Science at the Department of Political Science, Laval University, Canada. He has worked on the politics of the Arab world for over twenty years. He holds a PhD from Trinity College Dublin, Ireland.

This book is an invaluable resource for students of the Middle East. It is a highly accessible, but nuanced text that rightly eschews simplistic explanations of an increasingly complex region. The authors’ decision to undertake a thematic analysis of events and currents across the last 150 years makes the book one of the best of the genre, and ensures that students of all levels will be well served.

• 1 Introduction2 The Historical and Political Context3 Social Structures and Social Development4 Political Economy5 Political Systems6 Religion and Politics7 Civil Society and Political Change8 Gender and Politics9 The Use of Violence: Armed Forces, Police and Militias10 Conflict in the Middle East and North Africa11 The Middle East and the Wider World12 The Origins of the Arab Uprisings13 Reflections on the Nature and Aftermath of the Arab uprisings

Vincent Durac is Associate Professor in Middle East Politics and Development at University College Dublin, Ireland. Francesco Cavatorta is Professor of Political Science at the Department of Political Science, Laval University, Canada. He has worked on the politics of the Arab world for over twenty years. He holds a PhD from Trinity College Dublin, Ireland.

This book is an invaluable resource for students of the Middle East. It is a highly accessible, but nuanced text that rightly eschews simplistic explanations of an increasingly complex region. The authors’ decision to undertake a thematic analysis of events and currents across the last 150 years makes the book one of the best of the genre, and ensures that students of all levels will be well served.

• 1 Introduction2 The Historical and Political Context3 Social Structures and Social Development4 Political Economy5 Political Systems6 Religion and Politics7 Civil Society and Political Change8 Gender and Politics9 The Use of Violence: Armed Forces, Police and Militias10 Conflict in the Middle East and North Africa11 The Middle East and the Wider World12 The Origins of the Arab Uprisings13 Reflections on the Nature and Aftermath of the Arab uprisings

Vincent Durac is Associate Professor in Middle East Politics and Development at University College Dublin, Ireland. Francesco Cavatorta is Professor of Political Science at the Department of Political Science, Laval University, Canada. He has worked on the politics of the Arab world for over twenty years. He holds a PhD from Trinity College Dublin, Ireland.

This book is an invaluable resource for students of the Middle East. It is a highly accessible, but nuanced text that rightly eschews simplistic explanations of an increasingly complex region. The authors’ decision to undertake a thematic analysis of events and currents across the last 150 years makes the book one of the best of the genre, and ensures that students of all levels will be well served.

• 1 Introduction2 The Historical and Political Context3 Social Structures and Social Development4 Political Economy5 Political Systems6 Religion and Politics7 Civil Society and Political Change8 Gender and Politics9 The Use of Violence: Armed Forces, Police and Militias10 Conflict in the Middle East and North Africa11 The Middle East and the Wider World12 The Origins of the Arab Uprisings13 Reflections on the Nature and Aftermath of the Arab uprisings