What do we mean by 'gifts' in International Relations? Can foreign aid be conceptualized as a gift? Most foreign aid transactions are unilateral and financially unreciprocated, yet donors expect to benefit from them.Previous research dealing with foreign aid has analyzed the main donor motives and interests in providing financial support. This book offers an in-depth analysis of the invisible political or social 'exchange' taking place between recipient countries and donors when a grant agreement is signed. Focusing on Egypt, Jordan, Palestine and Israel - the main beneficiaries of Western foreign aid – the book uses gift theories and theories of social exchange to show how international social bonds are shaped by foreign aid and in what ways recipient countries are obliged to return the 'gift' they receive. Foreign aid is a means of buying 'stability' or 'democracy' in the region but Beata Paragi is interested here to understand the actual feasibility of Western assistance. Looking at the context of the Arab Spring, the book examines how aid impacts on a recipient country's domestic political events such as war, the quest for self-determination, the struggle against occupation and the fight for dignity. An original contribution to Middle East Studies and International Relations, the research presents an alternative interpretation of foreign aid and show how external funds interact with local developments and realities.

An overview of U.S. foreign assistance to the Middle East (ME) from FY 2005-2009, and of the FY 2010 budget request. Includes a brief history of aid to the region, a review of foreign aid levels, a description of selected country programs, and an analysis of current foreign aid issues. U.S. aid policy has gradually evolved from a focus on preventing Soviet influence from gaining a foothold in the region and from maintaining a neutral stance in the Arab-Israeli conflict, to strengthening Israel¿s military and economy and using foreign aid as an incentive to foster peace agreements between countries in the region. After the U.S. withdrawal from South Vietnam, the ME as a whole began to receive more U.S. foreign aid than any other region of the world.

This collection of research papers explores the impact of the Arab uprisings on the politics and political economy of foreign aid provision in the MENA region. Contributions focus on the foreign assistance policies and strategies of key donors (United States, Europe, Gulf countries and Turkey), and on the relationship between donors and recipients of foreign aid in a select set of MENA cases (Tunisia, Egypt, Palestine and to a lesser extent Morocco). Despite widespread rhetoric among lead donors pledging to support the transformational potential of the Arab uprisings, the contributions find a more complex pattern in foreign aid provision since 2011. Among Arab donors, who have played a significant role as providers of aid to states most affected by mass protests, trends in foreign assistance reflect the competing priorities of donors, and their willingness to politicize aid provision in pursuit of their strategic interests. Among Western donors, authors find a high degree of continuity. Chapters that focus on Western donors seek to account for continuity on the part of Western governments and the EU at a moment of profound transformational potential. Two factors, bureaucratization and securitization, capture most of the explanations provided, which take into account a variety of local dimensions as well. Contributions also discuss the changing assistance environment, namely the globalization of foreign assistance, the complex bureaucratic arrangements presiding over the delivery of European and US aid, and the role of regional and international non-democracies in the provision of foreign assistance. This book was published as a special issue of Mediterranean Politics.

This thesis examines the relationship between foreign aid and Middle East peace. The focus of this research is on Israel, and its relations with Egypt, Syria and the Palestinians. The thesis highlights the opposing interests of these actors and the United States interest in the region, and how these contrasting views seem to be roadblocks to a comprehensive peace. However, there is evidence that U.S. foreign aid can act as compensation for the compromises incurred by these actors, for the sake of peace in the region. The thesis concludes that by inadequately addressing the root of the Arab-Israeli problem: territorial claims that essentially predate Israel's establishment, but more specifically the pre-1997 claims, and the security of all parties, U.S. foreign assistance to the region will serve as a band-Aid approach to regional stability. However, present indicators dictate that this method is meeting U.S. Middle East Foreign Policy goals, and securing its vital interests in the region.

"Talk of reform is on the lips of many in Morocco, from the salons to the slums, and far into the countryside. Moroccans talk about reform in their country as an imperative, and the country s young king has been a key driver. Because of that, Morocco has drawn the attention of governments in the United States and Europe, which have seen their own strategic interests being tied to economic, political, and social reform in the Middle East and North Africa. Given all of the interest in reform, are the Moroccans going about it the right way? Are outside powers playing the proper constructive role, or are they undermining their own and Moroccans efforts toward positive change? This study analyzes U.S. and European policies to promote reform in Morocco, as well as the efforts of Moroccans themselves, and it seeks to understand the most effective ways to create complementary strategies toward reform." -- Product description.