Contemporary Politics in the Middle East

Beverley Milton-Edwards is Professor of Politics at Queen’s University Belfast and Senior Visiting Fellow at the Brookings Doha Center.

"The genius of this book is that it integrates together the different themes which run through Middle Eastern politics, creating a coherent understanding of the dynamics which shape events. The radical transformation of the Middle East since 2011 forms a key part of the ongoing analysis, but it is rightly set within the context of underlying problems, trends and issues. The book should be required reading for all those wanting to understand the region."—Tim Niblock, University of Exeter"I welcome the fourth edition of this comprehensive guide to the politics of such an important region of the world. It is a must for all those who want to understand the complex politics of the modern Middle East."—Roger Owen, Harvard University"With a keen eye for detail and an accessible style, Beverley Milton-Edwards, one of the foremost scholars of the Middle East, provides us with a comprehensive and up-to-date examination of the region from World War I up to the present. This is a superb book, going beyond studies of colonialism, nationalism, power, and interstate conflict. Milton-Edwards looks also at topics and areas equally consequential in shaping the Middle East, including political Islam, struggles for democracy, and the position of women and ethnic minorities. This is a must-reading for anyone with a serious interest in understanding the forces shaping the political history of the Middle East."—Mehran Kamrava, Georgetown University-Qatar

• Preface to the Fourth EditionINTRODUCTIONThe Muddle East?Who invented the Middle East?Orientalism - the enduring debateState-types: making sense of multiplicityRecommended ReadingQuestions for Discussion1. COLONIAL RULE: SHAPING THE DESTINY OF A REGIONIntroductionMerchants and MissionariesWorld War 1 and the death of the Ottoman Empire1918 and after: mandates, protectorates and colonial powerInter-war European declineSunset EmpireCase Study: Egypt - Gateway to richesCase Study: The Palestine DebacleCase Study: Algeria - a colony or province outré mer?Recommended ReadingQuestions for Discussion2. NATIONALISM: THE QUEST FOR IDENTITY AND POWERIntroductionNationalism as theory turned into practiceThe birth pangs of Arab nationalismNew Identities and hopesThe first Arab revolt: the Arab princes at the helm of British imperial ambitionTaking state powerUnification nationalism: the United Arab Republic and beyondCase Study: Nationalism defined by a man: NasserismCase Study: Ba�thism - the Arab Socialist future unveiledCase Study: Stateless nation: The KurdsRecommended ReadingQuestions for Discussion3. A VERY POLITICAL ECONOMYIntroductionRegional wealth and extremes of inequalityEvolution of oil-based economiesSheikhdoms and petro-powerRentier futures, profit in decline?Labour mobility and employmentCase Study: Saudi Arabia: Visio 2030 or bustCase Study: Egypt: Too big to fail or succeedCase Study: Collapsing globalization and its regional consequencesRecommended ReadingQuestions for Discussion4. CONFLICT AND LACK OF PEACEIntroductionThe bigger battle: Arab-Israeli hostilityKilling dreams: the Israeli-Palestinian dimensionEast against West in the Suez crisisArab versus ArabThe Lion and the Peacock: Arab-Iranian relationsSectarian PoliticsCase Study: Egypt and Israel: This is what peace looks likeCase Study: Iraq: Enduring ConflictCase Study: Al Qaeda the recurrent threatRecommended ReadingQuestions for Discussion5. PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE POLITICS: ISLAMIntroductionIslam and PoliticsThoroughly modern MuslimsMuslim BrotherhoodFervourArab Spring and Islamist AutumnCase Study: The Islamic Republic of IranCase Study: ISIS - the case of the �so-called Islamic state�Case Study: Palestinian Islamists - HamasRecommended ReadingQuestions for Discussion6. THE EPHEMERALS OF DEMOCRACY IN THE MIDDLE EASTIntroductionClash of civilizationsDemocracy or liberalization?Socio-economic indicatorsDemocracy and civil societyIslamism and democracy - an oxymoron?The Arab Spring and democracyCase Study: Jordan - a façade democracyCase Study: Moroccan parseCase Study: All Hopes in TunisiaRecommended ReadingQuestions for Discussion7. Women: The invisible populationIntroductionThe role of women in nationalist movementsIdentity and IndependenceWomen and IslamSubjugationFeminism and gender discoursesCase Study: Palestinian women in the West Bank, East Jerusalem and the Gaza StripCase Study: From beyond the veil - Iran since the revolutionCase Study: Turkey, the state of womenRecommended ReadingQuestions for Discussion8. ENDANGERED SPECIES: ETHNICITY AND MINORITIESIntroductionDefining ethnicityMinority statusThe state and ethnicityModernity in the post-modern ageEthno-national and religious battlesConflict management and regulationCase Study: Lost within the Jewish state: Israel�s Arabs.Case Study: �All the President�s Men� The Alawites of SyriaCase Study: Fear on a Mountain: YazidisRecommended ReadingQuestions for Discussion9. THEM AND US: THE UNITED STATES, EU AND RUSSIA IN THE MIDDLE EASTIntroductionNational InterestRelations and rivalriesEurope, the EU and the Middle EastThe Bear awakens Russia and the Middle EastCase Study: America and Israel: the really special relationshipCase Study: America and Saudi Arabia: oil on troubled watersCase Study: Russia and Syria: the embraceRecommended ReadingQuestions for Discussion10. THE ARAB SPRING AND THE NEW ERA OF UNCERTAINTYIntroductionUnderlying factorsWinds of ChangeTeenage Kicks: Youth and the Arab SpringUnfolding spectacle of political changeAuthoritarian resilienceUncertain FutureCase Study: Libya fracturingCase Study: Egypt�s children of the revolutionCase Study: Yemen from Hope to WarRecommended ReadingQuestions for DiscussionReferencesIndex