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Description
The Contemporary Middle East provides an accessible introduction to the region’s most pressing concerns and enduring conflicts. It includes provocative contributions by an impressive array of leading scholars, journalists, and policy advisors. Contributors include notable academic authors Arthur Goldschmidt Jr., the late William L. Cleveland, Shibley Telhami, David W. Lesch, Bernard Reich, and Phebe Marr, complemented by selections from recent general-interest books by Marwan Bishara, Mark Perry, and Eugene Rogan, among others. With twelve new chapters, the third edition is a probing examination of the current affairs of the Middle East. Its multiple readings on strategic pairings of topics (Israel and the Palestinians, Iraq and Iran, Egypt and Syria) illuminate the region’s key issues from a variety of perspectives. Part- and chapter-opening summaries help establish background and context, and a new concluding chapter by Shibley Telhami, written specifically for this volume, candidly addresses fundamental questions about the United States and the Middle East today. Student resources include an annotated table of contents, a select bibliography, a glossary, brief biographies of notable persons, a chronology, and a summary of recent events, in addition to numerous maps.
About the Author
Karl Yambert received his PhD from the University of California, Davis, and is a former editor of Middle East Studies at Westview Press.
“A very informative, readable, and thought-provoking edited volume that is valuable for students and the general public alike. Covering the major historical developments, the text presents an excellent description and explanation of the regional challenges ranging from economic growth to security and from political stability to energy consideration. This text is also empowered by useful supplements which add to its instructional significance.” —Houman A. Sadri, University of Central Florida
“This volume brings together a range of views by influential scholars on the most enduring and important issues in Middle East affairs. The book is an excellent choice for college classes from the introductory through advanced levels.” —Weldon C. Matthews, Oakland University
“Engages students with timely essays and sharpens critical thinking by presenting a variety of informed perspectives on key issues. Excellent for courses covering the recent history of the Middle East.” —Brock Ruggles, Arizona State University
“Karl Yambert has assembled an all-star cast with his reader, The Contemporary Middle East. Well-known experts in the field of Middle East politics, both scholars and practitioners, cover a wide range of topics, from foreign policy and comparative politics, to contemporary history. It includes discussion of up-to-date issues, like the Iranian nuclear conflict, Obama's foreign policy, and the Arab Spring. Indispensible for a variety of courses on the modern Middle East.” —Sherry Lowrance, University Of Georgia
Praise for Prior Editions:
"A brilliant, well-organized and timely compilation of sophisticated and pertinent works on the politics of the Middle East. An absolute must for any course on the politics of the Middle East." —Amaney Jamal, Princeton University
“A worthy and unique job … A welcome resource to teachers of the contemporary governments and politics of the Middle East, and to the general reader who is looking for a sound path to understanding the dynamics of the local and international politics of this critical region.” —Naseer H. Aruri, University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth
I. History and Perspectives
1. The Peoples and Cultures of the Middle East, Colbert C. Held and John Thomas Cummings
2. The Roots of Arab Bitterness, Arthur Goldschmidt Jr. and Lawrence Davidson
3. Islamist Perceptions of US Policy in the Middle East, Yvonne Yazbeck Haddad
4. Global Energy and the Middle East, Steve Yetiv
5. New US Policies for a New Middle East?, William B. Quandt
6. Cairo Speech, Barack Obama
II. Israel and Palestine
7. Israel and the Arabs, and Beyond, Robert O. Freedman
8. The United States and Israel, Bernard Reich and Shannon Powers
9. The Palestinians, Glenn E. Robinson
10. Sharon’s Fence, Idith Zertal and Akiva Eldar
11. Whither the Palestinians?, Samih K. Farsoun and Naseer H. Aruri
12. Ethnicity and Nation-Building in the State of Israel, Calvin Goldscheiderv
13. Syria’s Threat to Israel, Hirsch Goodman
14. The Iranian Nuclear Threat against Israel, Steven R. David
III. Iraq and Iran
15. Pashtunistan: Afghanistan, Pakistan—and Iraq, Stephen Tanner
16. The Land and People of Modern Iraq, Phebe Marr
17. Impacts of the Iraq War, James DeFronzo
18. America’s Troubled Moment in the Middle East, William L. Cleveland and Martin Bunton
19. Maliki Consolidates Power in Post-Saddam Iraq, Phebe Marr
20. The Iranian Revolution and Its Consequences, David W. Lesch
21. Islamic Republic of Iran: Political Dynamics and Foreign Policy, Mark Gasiorowski
22. Iran’s Regional Foreign Policy, Manochehr Dorraj
23. Iran, Israel, and the United States, Scott Ritter
24. The Iranian Predicament, Michael Axworthy
IV. The Islamists
25. Islamists and Democracy: The Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood, Marwan Bishara
26. Talking to Terrorists: Hamas and Hezbollah, Mark Perry
V. The Arab Spring
27. The Arab Spring, 2011, Eugene Rogan
28. Egypt: Mubarak and After, Arthur Goldschmidt Jr.
29. Bashar al-Assad and the Syrian Arab Spring, David W. Lesch
30. The Arab World at the Intersection of the National and the Transnational, James L. Gelvin
VI. Looking Forward
31. The Contemporary Middle East: Some Questions, Some Answers, Shibley Telhami
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