This volume focuses on interpreting the changing domestic and regional dynamics in the Arab world and Iran. Its chapters discuss an array of countries, events, actors, and issues - from an examination of the Arab Spring and the Tunisian democratic transition, to an exploration of the role of Saudi-Iranian geostrategic rivalry, to the impact of ethnic and sectarian politics in Syria, Iraq, and across the region. Chapters from expert contributors are organized into three parts. The first section of the volume covers the aspects and dynamics of change in the Arab world. The second examines the role of Islam, Islamism, Islamic governance, and sectarian and ethnic politics in the region. The third section focuses on Iranian domestic and regional politics. Yet the theme of transition is constant throughout as this multidisciplinary book draws connections across countries and events to not only inform about the prevailing regional situation, but also to invite readers to draw their own conclusions as to the future of the Middle East. Collectively the volume provides a fresh interpretation of the changing dynamics of the Arab world and Iran, unpacking the complexities of the disputes, conflicts, rivalries, failed goals, and processes of change and development that have made the Muslim Middle East so turbulent, directionless, and perpetually contested by both regional and international actors.
Amin Saikal
Arab-Iranian relations Middle East MENA region Political transition Sectarian politics Ethnic politics Arab Spring Arab Uprising Islamism Syrian Civil War Democratization Afghanistan Egypt Saudi Arabia Syria
“Presenting a balanced assessment of the geopolitical,
internal, and religious challenges to political and social order of Arab
counties as well as Iran, this volume of discerning analyses explains both the
often unsettling fissures that have opened and underlying continuities. The Middle East may not be ‘broken’ but, as
is persuasively argued here, the transformations it is undergoing are bound to
be defining. With a fortuitous combination of expertise and timeliness, the astute
insights that this book presents are of urgent relevance to policymakers and
the public alike.” (James Piscatori, Professor
and Member of the Centre for the History of Political Thought, Durham
University, UK)<“This book is a timely, extremely important contribution to the
contemporary debate on the rapid social and political changes in the Middle
East. Original in its theme and approach, the book focuses on the complex
relationships between Iran and the Arabic speaking world as it explores the
recent resurgence of regional sectarian conflict as well as the role of diverse
Islamist political ideologies in the region. The focus on Iran and its complex
foreign policy in relation to neighboring Arab countries including Saudi Arabia
is an important aspect of this book as it contributes to widening the
discussion on Iranian politics and on the country’s strategic role in the
region beyond the stereotypical perception of Iran as a ‘radical’ and rogue
state.” (Karima Laachir, SOAS, University of London, UK)
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