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"Discusses religion, democracy, and politics in the Middle East in the early 21st century and highlights dilemmas and challenges for the future of the region"--Provided by publisher

Explaining how the U.S. withdrawal from the Middle East could have long-term consequences as other forces come forward to fill the gap, Russell A. Berman details how the retreat began and how the reduction of the U.S. commitment has, in turn, set off a wave of repercussions. He analyzes what motivates such a retreat, how much it is a choice of the Obama administration, and how much it is rooted in U.S. cultural leanings that could outlast the administration. In Retreat warns not only about changing evaluations about this specific corner of the globe but also about predispositions to retreat from politics altogether, from the burden of leadership, and from the advocacy for democracy.

This text investigates how ecology and politics meet in the Middle East and how those interactions connect to the global political economy. Through region-wide analyses and case studies from the Arabian Peninsula, the Gulf of Aden, the Levant and North Africa, the volume highlights the intimate connections of environmental activism, energy infrastructure and illicit commodity trading with the political economies of Central Asia, the Horn of Africa and the Indian subcontinent.

Cover -- Half Title -- Title Page -- Copyright Page -- Original Title Page -- Original Copyright Page -- Dedication -- Table of Contents -- List of Tables and Figures -- 1. The Region: Its Food Potential and Constraints -- The Food Deficit -- The National Picture -- Food and Assistance Systems -- Notes -- 2. The Agricultural Sector in Development Policy -- A Sectoral Profile -- The Political Context -- National Investment Strategies -- Notes -- 3. Agrarian Development Goals and Strategies, and Class Inequalities -- The Structure of Classes -- Distributive Strategies -- Reformative Strategies -- Institutional Strategies - Cooperative Schemes -- Institutional Strategies - Collectives -- Basic Needs and Class Interests -- Notes -- 4. Bureaucratic Values, Structures, and Decisions -- The Patrimonial System -- Policy Implementation: Center and Periphery -- Reform and Administrative Decentralization -- Bureaucratic Decision Styles -- Notes -- 5. Food Aid, Trade, and Development Assistance -- U.S. Food Aid and Trade -- U.S. Food Aid and Foreign Policy -- Assistance Programs and Trade: Europe and the Communist States -- Multilateral Development and Financial Assistance -- Intraregional Economic Assistance -- Assistance and Domestic Policies -- The Food-Oil Link -- Notes -- 6. Food and Political Stability -- Food and Urban Violence -- Rural Discontent -- Conflict and Production -- Islamic Resurgence and Agrarian Policy -- Prospects for the 1980s -- Notes -- Selected Bibliography -- Index.

In their recent book, Anthropology's Politics: Disciplining the Middle East (Stanford University Press, 2016), Lara Deeb and Jessica Winegar provide the first academic study of how political and economic pressures shape the way scholars based in the United States research and teach about the Middle East. Lila Abu-Lughod, a member of the journal's editorial board, recently talked with the authors about the dynamics of the field. The book's final chapter examines the movement among anthropologists in support of a boycott of Israeli academic institutions. Just after the book's publication, the issue came to a vote at the American Anthropological Association. Abu-Lughod asks the authors whether their research enables us to understand the outcome of the vote.

Intro -- NUCLEAR AMBITIONS AND ISSUES IN THE MIDDLE EAST -- NUCLEAR AMBITIONS AND ISSUES IN THE MIDDLE EAST -- CONTENTS -- PREFACE -- Chapter 1 IRAN'S NUCLEAR PROGRAM: TEHRAN'S COMPLIANCE WITH INTERNATIONAL OBLIGATIONS -- Summary -- Introduction -- Background -- Iran and the IAEA -- Potential Noncompliance since September 2005 -- Iran and the U.N. Security Council -- Authority for IAEA and U.N. Security Council Actions -- IAEA Statute -- U.N. Charter and the Security Council -- Has Iran Violated the NPT?27 -- Appendix A. Iranian Noncompliance with Its IAEA Safeguards Agreement -- Appendix B. Extended Remarks by William Foster Regarding Possible NPT Article II Violations -- End Notes -- Chapter 2 IRAN SANCTIONS -- Summary -- Overview -- The Iran Sanctions Act (ISA) -- Key Provisions/"Triggers" and Available Sanctions -- Waiver and Termination Authority -- Iran Freedom Support Act Amendments -- Effectiveness and Ongoing Challenges -- Energy Routes and Refinery Investment -- Refinery Construction -- Significant Purchase Agreements -- Efforts in the 110th Congress to Expand ISA Application -- Legislation in the 111th Congress: Targeting Gasoline Sales -- Likely Effects of the Iran Refined Petroleum Sanctions Act -- Relationships to Other U.S. Sanctions -- Ban on U.S. Trade and Investment with Iran -- Application to Foreign Subsidiaries of U.S. Firms -- Treasury Department "Targeted Financial Measures" -- Terrorism-Related Sanctions -- Executive Order 13224 -- Proliferation-Related Sanctions -- Relations to International Sanctions -- Efforts to Promote Divestment and Internet Freedom -- Efforts to Prevent Internet Monitoring by Iran -- Blocked Iranian Property and Assets -- End Notes -- Chapter 3 PAKISTAN'S NUCLEAR WEAPONS: PROLIFERATION AND SECURITY ISSUES -- Summary -- Background -- Nuclear Weapons -- Responding to India? -- Delivery Vehicles.

Although most Arab countries remain authoritarian, many have undergone a restructuring of state-society relations. Lower- and middle-class interest groups have lost ground, while big business has benefited in terms of its integration into policy-making and the opening-up of economic sectors that used to be state-dominated. Arab businesses have also started taking on aspects of public service provision in health, media and education that used to be the domain of the state, while also becoming increasingly active in philanthropy. Among the topics addressed by the contributing authors are: the role of business in recent regime change; the political outlook of businessmen; the consequences of economic liberalisation on the composition of business elites in the Middle East; the role of the private sector in orienting government policies; lobbying of government by business interests; and the mechanisms by which governments seek to keep businesses dependent upon them. The Arab Spring is likely to lead to a more pluralistic political order in the Middle East and this makes it all the more important to understand business interests in the region. They are a segment of society that have often been close to the ancien regime, but will undoubtedly play a pivotal role in a future social contract

"The changes brought by the Arab Spring and ensuing developments in the Middle East have made the Kurds an important force in the region. Tel-Aviv and Washington place high hopes on Erbil to facilitate their dealings with Baghdad, Damascus, Teheran and Ankara. Kurds living in Turkey, Syria and Iran have been inspired by the successes of their brethren in Iraq who managed to gain significant independence and make remarkable achievements in state building. The idea of a greater Kurdistan is in the air. This book focuses on how the Kurds have become a new and significant force in Middle Eastern politics. International expert contributors conceptualize current developments putting them into theoretical perspective, helping us to better understand the potential role the Kurds could play in the Middle East"--Provided by publisher

This Handbook uses a comprehensive study of political institutions, social movements and external pressures to offer nuanced study of politics in the Middle East. Foremost scholars on the Middle East examine key themes such as political change, regional rivalry and authoritarianism, making this collection very timely and relevant as an authoritative source. Throughout history, the Middle East has been subject to high levels of political upheaval, revolutions, interstate and intrastate conflict and population dislocation. Charting the ongoing disruptions to authoritarianism in the Middle East, chapters consider the internal logic of the divide between state and society, the continued disregard for societal needs, and the suppression of legitimate grievances, all of which would indicate further and future upheavals. The Handbook engages with questions of political legitimacy and popular aspirations, energy and environmental security, foreign power interests and political ideologies to present a well-rounded picture of a dynamic region.

"The latest edition of this renowned textbook explores the states and regimes of the Middle East and North Africa. Presenting heavily revised, fully updated chapters contributed by the world's leading experts, it analyzes the historical trajectory, political institutions, economic development, and foreign policies of the region's nearly two dozen countries. The volume can be used in conjunction with its sister volume, The Societies of the Middle East and North Africa, for a comprehensive overview of the region. Chapters are organized and structured identically, giving insightful windows into the nuances of each country's domestic politics and foreign relations. Data tables and extensive annotated bibliographies orient readers towards further research. Whether used in conjunction with its sister volume or on its own, this book provides the most comprehensive and detailed overview of the region's varied politics. Five new experts cover the critical country cases of Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and Iran. All chapters cover the latest events, including trends that have remarkably changed in just a few years like the gradual end of the Syrian civil war. It also covers recent events, providing the political background necessary for understanding the latest affairs in the Arab world, Israel, Turkey, and Iran. As such, this textbook is invaluable to students of Middle Eastern Politics"--