Middle East Politics and International Relations: Crisis Zone

Description

Continuing civil wars and humanitarian crises, coupled with a changing geopolitical dynamic, highlighted by increased Russian and Chinese presence in the Middle East, call for new thinking. What happens in the Middle East has major global repercussions. This second edition of the ground-breaking textbook Middle East Politics and International Relations: Crisis Zone provides a comprehensive overview of contemporary Middle East politics. The book traces the roots of recent events across the region’s modern history, enabling readers to appreciate both the significance of such events and the importance of history in influencing their outcomes. Structured chronologically, with updated stand-alone chapters containing history, context and contemporary analyses, this edition examines a series of interconnected themes and issues, including external intervention, political manifestations of Islam, the role of political authority, nationalism, self-determination and human rights. The book provides a valuable teaching tool, both in its content and structure. Students will gain a deeper understanding of a changed Middle East and the evolving role of states and non-state actors in the region. Cover Endorsements Half Title Title Page Copyright Page Dedication Table of Contents List of maps List of boxes 1. Historical context Chapter outline The colonial period Conclusion 2. The formation of the State of Israel The road to statehood Zionism during the Second World War Al-Nakba/Israeli War of Independence Conclusion 3. The Arab–Israeli wars The Six-Day War, 1967 The Yom Kippur/Ramadan War, 1973 The Lebanese War, 1982 Fighting Hizbullah, 2006 Conclusion 4. Palestinian politics The failure of the ‘peace process’ Background The first Intifada (1987) Hamas The peace process Palestinian political rupture, Gaza and the security wall Hamas and Israel Hamas and the Arab Spring The Palestinian Authority, the United Nations and the bid for statehood Netanyahu and Trump: the death of the peace process Two states or one? Conclusion 5. Pan-Arabism and Islamism Pan-Arabism spreads across the region The founding of political Islam Islamist political parties Conclusion 6. The Iranian Revolution and pan-Shi’ism The Iranian Revolution The Iran–Iraq War (1980–1988) Exporting the revolution: the establishment of Hizbullah Conclusion 7. Playground of the superpowers The Suez War Dictators and despots The Soviet invasion of Afghanistan Regional reactions The role of the United States Regional and global implications of the Afghan conflict Conclusion 8. The US-led War on Terror Afghanistan: US responses to 9/11 US occupation and the Taliban insurgency Prospects for peace Iraq: the road to war US occupation, Sunni insurgency and Shia militia Conclusion 9. The Arab uprisings Causes and the ‘contagion’ effect Egypt, Mubarak and the Muslim Brotherhood The cases of Bahrain and Libya Tunisia: the uprising’s outlier Unfinished revolutions Conclusion 10. The Syrian War Historical context The Arab uprising in Syria The international reaction The Syrian peace process The consequences of war Conclusion 11. The Islamic State Historical background The rise of the Islamic State The international response to the Islamic State The territorial demise of the Islamic State The Islamic State in the post-Caliphate era Conclusion 12. Iran–US relations and the nuclear deal The nuclear issue Nuclear negotiations The European Union and JCPOA Regional responses Deterioration of Iran–US relations Conclusion 13. Shifting geopolitics in the Middle East Background Escalating crisis Syria and Yemen Great Powers Conclusion Selected Bibliography Index