Books in the Library of Modern Middle East Studies series

In 1994, Jordan and Israel signed a peace agreement to create peace between their countries. The treaty itself remains intact, but relations between the two states, at the societal level, have not fulfilled expectations. Focusing on the Jordanian perspective, this title examines the challenges involved to create 'good neighbourly relations'.

In an atmosphere of growing concern over the threat posed by Islamist violence, political Islamism has become the most important of geopolitical issues. This book talks about the phenomenon of political Islam, determined by macro and micro-level changes in the Muslim world, and the socio-economic and political settings.

In the aftermath of World War I Syria paved a path towards democracy.

Provides a fresh perspective on the Palestinian-Israeli water conflict. This work is suitable for researchers, professionals and policy makers involved with the politics of the Middle East and with water conflict more generally.

Draws on a distinguished career's worth of experience trying to understand the region to address the fundamental question in Middle East studies: what is the Middle East? This work offers us an alternative view of the region, its historic cosmpolitanism, its religious and cultural diversity, and its rapid adoption of various media cultures.

Modern Turkey is the site of a powerful Islamic revival, with a strong intellectual elite dedicated to the overthrow of secular modernism. Why have modern Muslim intellectuals turned against the ideals of Kemalism on which the modern Turkish nation-state is founded? This book analyses this phenomenon.

Examines Hollywood as the dominant Western interpreter of the Arab World and also views the Arab world in terms of how it perceives itself and others through its films. This book covers films made in the USA, Egypt, Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco, Lebanon, Syria and Palestine, showing how they represent major political issues in the Middle East.

The author argues in this text that the reform and liberalisation of Egypt's economy has been partial and selective, far from beneficial to all Egyptians. While the encouragement of the private sector has indeed benefited some, it has failed to improve the standard of living of others.

How did the Ayatollah Khomeini create his Islamic state? What were the ideas which drove him and his movement? What organization and methods helped bring him to power? This book analyses the ideaological roots of an Islamic state as conceived by the Ayatollah Khomeini.

This title offers an in-depth analysis of Lebanese economic development during the second half of the 20th century, with emphasis on the civil war and its aftermath. Makdisi offers a definitive assessment of the principal phases of national development since Lebanese independence in the 1940s.

In the context of the Palestinians, whose national status in so many instances remains unresolved, the articulation and `imagination' of national identity is particularly urgent.

The first book to look at the new political and social movements in Yemen after the fall of President Saleh

Analyses the vital role that institutions are coming to play in shaping policy in the Gulf Arab states

A unique analysis of the networks and perils at play in the Gulf when researching a controversial subject such as evolution.

This multi-layered account of the nature and causes of the Palestinian water crisis uses particular aspects of the Israeli-Palestine water conflict to illustrate both the broader nature of Israeli-Palestinian relations and factors that the existing water literature underplays or simply gets wrong.

This volume identifies the principal issues, social, economic and political, that have shaped and determined Iran's economic performance since the Islamic revolution of 1979.

How did Iran's clergy justify their country's devastating eight-year war with Iraq? Seeking to rationalize Iran's war in Islamic theological terms, this study examines Iran's conduct up until the cease-fire and acceptance of Resolution 598 in 1988.

Tells how and why women have come to play a central role in the political project of Islamic revivalism and in the power struggles between Islamic and secular forces in Turkey.

Water is a key issue on the agenda of peace between Israel and its Arab neighbours. This book brings together the work of individuals involved directly in the negotiations and looks at the issues from many different perspectives.

1958 was a turning point in the history of the Middle East and the Arab World. The Arabs seemed to be splitting from the West and realigning itself with the Communists. This gap was bridged by US military dominance, the UN, and lucrative links between the Iraqi regime and western petrol companies.

Egyptian agriculture is uniquely dependent on water. The improvement of irrigation systems is therefore crucial. This text evaluates the ambitious Irrigation Improvement Project (IIP) and should be of interest to those concerned with issues of water and development in the Middle East.

Literary fiction has always provided an outlet for social and political critique. This book charts the rise of postcolonial literature written by women from the Maghreb, and provides an analysis of three of the region's prominent contemporary authors such as Assia Djeba (Algeria), Leila Abouzeid (Morocco) and Souad Guellouz (Tunisia).

Dealing with issues of mobility, cosmopolitanism, and transnational movements, this is essential reading for students and scholars of the history, culture and society of the Tuareg, of nomadic peoples, and of North Africa more widely.

Seeks to understand how the 'Other' is viewed in Arab culture, and vice versa. This work examines how Turks, Europeans, Christians and Iranians have been represented in the arts, opinions and cultures of the Arab world. Conversely, it also explores the intellectual representation of 'The Arab' in other cultures.

When Basher al-Asad became President of Syria in June 2000, he had a tough act to follow. A quiet, unassuming opthalmologist, trained in Britain, young Asad was successor to his dynamic, wily father Hafiz. This work is about Basher al-Asad. It assesses the durability of Hafiz's legacy, including the influence of the old power-brokers.

In the 1920s Turkey and Iran faced political upheaval as both states attempted to find their routes to modernity. This study observes this process by examining the measures adopted by the political regimes of the late Ottomans, Ataturk and Reza Shah, as well as by exploring how different social levels contributed to the drive for modernity.

The television industry has metamorphosised from a national and largely-monopolized sector to a commercial and global enterprise. This title shows that making the documentary on the Arab-Israeli struggle turned into a war: a war over competing memories, interpretation, editing, and finally narration.

Answers key questions about the connections between media and political change in the Arab world. Using research into, for example, practices of Internet users, journalists, demonstrators and producers of reality TV, this book explores the interface between public interaction over the airwaves, at the polls and on the streets.

The Palestinian refugee issue remains a central component of the Arab-Israeli conflict. This book explores the demographic and developmental challenges which the return of refugees to a future Palestinian state would generate.