Federalism in the Middle East: State Reconstruction Projects and the Arab Spring (Perspectives on Development in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) Region)

Description

This book examines the projects of administrative and territorial reconstruction of Arab countries as an aftermath of the “Arab Spring”. Additionally, it looks into an active rethinking of the former unitary model, linked by its critics with dictatorship and oppression. The book presents decentralization or even federalization as newly emerging major topics of socio-political debate in the Arab world. As the federalist recipes and projects are specific and the struggle for their implementation has a pronounced variation, different case studies are presented. Countries discussed include Libya, Syria, Yemen, and Iraq. The book looks into the background and prerequisites of the federalist experiments of the “Arab Spring”, describes their evolution and current state, and assesses the prospects for the future. It is, therefore, a must-read for scholars of political science, as well as policy-makers interested in a better understanding of previous and current developments in the Arab countries. Foreword Acknowledgements About This Book Introduction: Federalist Revival after the Arab Spring: Causes and Effects Contents About the Authors 1 Integration, Federalization and the Arab National Idea 1.1 The Paradoxical Fruits of Nationalism 1.2 Failed Birth: The Fertile Crescent Federation 1.3 Egypt, Arab Unity and Arab League Instead of Federation 1.4 Baghdad—Cairo—Damascus 1.5 The Unitary Federation and It’s Odd Alter Ego 1.6 The Final Chord or Mission Impossible 2 Imposed Federalism: Iraq 2.1 Hutch and Millstone of Empires 2.2 The People Who Did not Get Statehood 2.3 The Suffering of the Kurds in the Iraqi Republic 2.4 Destruction of the Enemy and the Long-Awaited Good Fortune 2.5 Still Barks, but Doesn’t Bite 2.6 Lack of Unity and Timeliness 3 The Oil Federalism: Libya 3.1 Civil Unrest and the Metastases of Decay 3.2 The Geography of Power 3.3 The Monopoly on Violence is No More 3.4 Remembering the Tricolor 3.5 From Chaos to Federation 4 The Chaotic Federalism: Yemen 4.1 Tribal and Imperial Federations 4.2 The British Legacy and the Pan-Arab Fraternity 4.3 Mergers and Acquisitions 4.4 Opponents of Federalization in the North and the South 4.5 The Revolution and the Decentralization 4.6 “Cutting” Difficulties 5 Elusive Federalism: Syria 5.1 The Kurds’ Misfortunes: The Syrian Version 5.2 The Third Power and the Forced Federalism 5.3 Rojava as a State Without Statehood 5.4 Moscow Teaches Syrians Constitution-Making 5.5 A United Federalist Front? Conclusion Appendix 1 The Key Integration and Federal Projects in the MENA Region, 1920–2020 Appendix 2 Map of the Middle East Appendix 3 Iraq Appendix 4 Libya Appendix 5 Yemen Appendix 6 Syria References