The US invasion of Iraq in 2003 and the Arab uprisings of 2010–11 left indelible imprints on the Middle East. Yet, these events have not reshaped the region as pundits once predicted. With this volume, top experts on the region offer wide-ranging considerations of the characteristics, continuities, and discontinuities of the contemporary Middle East, addressing topics from international politics to political Islam, hip hop to human security. This book engages six themes to understand the contemporary Middle East—the spread of sectarianism, abandonment of principles of state sovereignty, the lack of a regional hegemonic power, increased Saudi-Iranian competition, decreased regional attention to the Israel-Palestine conflict, and fallout from the Arab uprisings—as well as offers individual country studies. With analysis from historians, political scientists, sociologists, and anthropologists, and up-to-date discussions of the Syrian Civil War, impacts of the Trump presidency, and the 2020 uprisings in Lebanon, Algeria, and Sudan, this book will be an essential guide for anyone seeking to understand the current state of the region.

Provides a balanced historical narrative of the contemporary causes of conflict in the Middle East, ideal for students and scholars The recent history of the Middle East has involved unprecedented violence and war. Contemporary Middle East: Foreign Intervention and Authoritarian Governance Since 1979 explores the causes of the sustained turbulence of the region by focusing on three separate yet intersecting factors: constant foreign political and military interference, failed authoritarian governance, and the ongoing Palestinian-Israeli conflict. With a clear and accessible style, this student-friendly text presents a concise account of the region’s history, starting from the dramatic events of 1979 including the toppling of the Shah of Iran, the return of Ayatollah Khomeini, the Egyptian-Israeli peace treaty, the ascendency of Saddam Hussein in Iraq, armed insurrection in Mecca, and the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. Succinct chapters, organized chronologically, guide students through key events and help students develop a cohesive picture of the sequence of historical developments which have shape the contemporary Middle East. This valuable work: Covers a broad range of topics with a focus on the geopolitical and geostrategic aspect Explores the Middle East's connections to broader global shifts such as Cold War rivalry and American unipolarity Examines the underlying causes and geopolitical consequences of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict Describes the evolution of the wide variety of Islamist opposition movements Provides background for the 2011 popular uprisings against authoritarian and corrupt rule Assesses how counter revolutionary forces have resorted to political repression, sectarian division, and regional conflict Delivering invaluable insights into the factors underlying the region's ongoing geopolitical disorder, Contemporary Middle East: Foreign Intervention and Authoritarian Governance Since 1979 is an excellent resource for undergraduate courses in history and political science, and a valuable text for general readers looking for a succinct survey of the last four decades of Middle Eastern history.

The fourth edition of this award-winning account of the conflict between Israel and Palestine for students and general readers.

The first truly global history of revolutions and revolutionary waves in the modern age, from Atlantic Revolutions to Arab Spring.

Extensively revised and updated in the wake of the Arab uprisings, the changes that they fostered, and the fault lines that they exposed, the fourth edition of The Modern Middle East explores how the forces associated with global modernity have shaped the social, economic, cultural, andpolitical life in the region over the course of the past 500 years. Beginning in the sixteenth century, this book examines the impact of imperial and imperialist legacies, the great nineteenth-century transformation, cultural continuities and upheavals, international diplomacy, economic booms andbusts, and the emergence of and resistance to authoritarian regimes. Engagingly written, drawing from the author's own research and other studies, and enriched with maps and photographs, original documents, and an abundance of supplementary materials, this text provides students with fresh insightsinto the events and debates that have shaped history and absorbed historians.

The previous edition of Understanding the Contemporary Middle East was published soon after the Arab uprisings, and the authors-writing across disciplines-captured those moments of possibility. Now, more than six years later, the Middle East is substantially changed, with three protracted civil wars, several retrenched authoritarian regimes, possibly one emerging democracy, and social and economic conditions that have been profoundly affected by the new political environment. This thoroughly revised and updated edition explores both the impact of recent events in shaping the region and the continuities with established patterns of political, economic, and social relations.

Before the deluge : the Middle East, 1945-2011 -- The Arab uprisings and their fallout -- The Syria imbroglio -- The rise and decline of ISIS -- Patrons, proxies, and freelancers : the international relations of the new Middle East -- Human security in the new Middle East