Books in the Routledge Studies in Middle Eastern Politics series

One of the implications of Orientalism is that the Arab world, as a homogenous entity, is often analysed as an anomaly within the international system. This book argues that, despite their differences, societies across the globe ultimately construct their own history according to very similar dynamics and tensions. The methodological approach of this book, using different countries within the Arab world as models, offers the reader an analysis of relations between the elites and their opposition in a variety of settings. A definition of the political structure of each country is drawn from this analysis before potential future scenarios, as according to country specific experts, are proposed. This model provides a useful contribution to students and scholars of political science and international relations.Through providing a comparative study of the political regimes currently operating in the Arab world; their elites, civil society, power resources and political resistance, this book illustrates that despite the image of homogeneity sometimes portrayed by the Arab world, it is the multiplicity of models and heterogeneity of regimes that constitute reality.

This book argues that the last thirteen years are best understood via the AK party¿s interaction with the social-political realm. It focuses on criticism, dissent and opposition from prominent organized groups in Turkish society, which themselves represent significantly different traditions, ideologies and interests. Bringing together specialists from across the field, its chapters explore key societal actors to reveal the dynamics behind the last decade of AK Party rule. Overall, the book throws light on the extent to which the government¿s characters, trajectories, policies and leadership style have been interactively shaped by opposition and dissent.

This book explores the understanding and practice of democracy in Turkey since the early 2000s, analyzing its evolution in light of the parliamentary elections held in 2015. Adopting a more holistic approach in line with the writing of Wolfgang Merkel, it recognizes that a successful, consolidated democracy has various micro and macro-level foundations. The former includes factors such as political values, tolerance, identity, and civil society, while the latter includes political economy, party competition, and institutional development. This volume rejects purely descriptive assessments and instead employs theoretical perspectives to analyze a dynamic political environment. It brings together a range of noted specialists on Turkish politics and society, who employ different methodological approaches and frameworks to offer a distinct scholarly work on democratization in Turkey.

The Israeli Conflict System brings together leading conflict scholars primarily from political science, applying a range of advanced, rigorous analytic and data-gathering techniques to address this single empirical domain¿the contemporary Israeli Conflict System. Recognising the causal complexity of this conflict system, the volume¿s central theme is that the system¿s current conditions are best understood in their broader temporal/historic, cultural/linguistic, and spatial/geographic contexts. Through the lens of economic, geographic, historical, linguistic, and political analyses, and the application of data analysis, experiments, simulations, and models of rational choice, this volume shows how diverse disciplinary perspectives and methodologies can complement each other effectively. In this way, its chapters provide a model for the integration of factors and contexts necessary for understanding contemporary world politics, and a sampling of theories, approaches, and methods that are applicable, useful, or valid under different conditions.

Investigating the connections between multiculturalism, minorities, citizenship, and democracy in North Africa, this book argues that multiculturalism in this region¿ and in the Arab world at large ¿ has reached a significant level in terms of scale and importance.

This book provides a history of the Golan heights from 1967 to the present, and includes analysis of the political, geographical and social aspects of Israeli settlement.

This book examines Lebanon¿s international political behaviour during the 2006 war between Israel and Hizballah. It tests the hypothesis that sub-state factors, especially identity, are more important than systemic factors for affecting the conditions against which states make foreign policy-decisions.

This book examines how individuals and groups within particular political parties in Turkey gain influence and control over party resources and decision-making; and, relatedly, to examine party relationships with non-party actors¿particularly social groups and identities ¿ to study how parties, and groups within parties, interact with, gain strength from, and compete with non-party players in their quest for control over local and national political landscapes.

The deep state ranks among the most critical issues in Turkish politics. This book offers a path dependent explanation of the emergence and trajectory of the deep state, traces its (in)formal sources in the Ottoman Empire, sheds light on the causal mechanisms at work in its functioning and the requisites for democratic consolidation.

Explores the notion that the Palestinian refugee case is exceptional through the study of refugee repatriation. This book examines the contextual and methodological field, reviewing the trends in forced migration and refugee studies as well as studying the historical and political background of UNHCR.

This collection addresses major issues such as political reforms and stability, external relations and social conditions to integration into the world economy.

This book provides a comprehensive examination of Moroccös political, social and cultural evolution under King Mohammed VI.

Since the end of the 1980 coup d¿état Turkey has been in the midst of a complex process of democratization. Applying methodological pluralism in order to provide a comprehensive analysis of this process in a Turkish context, this book brings together contributions from prominent, Turkish, English, French, and Spanish scholars.Turkey¿s Democratization Process utilises the theoretical framework of J.J. Linz and A.C. Stepan in order to assess the complex process of democratization in Turkey. This framework takes into account five interacting features of Turkey¿s polity when making this assessment, namely: whether the underlying legal and socioeconomic conditions are conducive for the development of a free and participant society; if a relatively autonomous political society exists; whether there are legal guarantees for citizens¿ freedoms; if there exists a state bureaucracy which can be used by a democratic government; and whether the type and pace of Turkish economic development contributes to this process.Examining the Turkish case in light of this framework, this book seeks to combine analyses that will help assess the process of democratization in Turkey to date and will be of interest to scholars and researchers interested in Turkish Politics, Democratization and Middle Eastern Studies more broadly.

Examines the several layers of surveillance that control the Palestinian population in Israel and the occupied territories, showing how they operate, how well they work, how they are augmented, and how ultimately their chief purpose is population control.

This book examines the nature of citizenship in Israel as pertaining to particular group demands and to the dynamics of political life in the public arena. Focusing on a wide range of social groups from the military, through ethnic minorities, religious groupings, and the gay and lesbian community, contributors explore different aspects of citizenship through the needs, demands and struggles of minority groups to provide a comprehensive picture of the dynamics of Israeli citizenship and the dilemmas that emerge at the collective, group and individual levels.

The volume seeks to understand the role of Islamists, among other actors, in challenging authoritarian rule, addressing why they and other opposition forces failed to challenge existing regimes before 2011. Modern Middle East Authoritarianism also discusses how ruling elites adapted to international processes of economic neoliberalism in order to forge close relationships with the West, as well as how Arab autocrats used the United States¿ and other Western powers¿ (supposed) passionate support of democracy in the period after September 11 to entrench their rule.

This book examines Iranian foreign policy, with a focus on the years since 2001. The first part looks at the underpinnings and key foundations of the Islamic Republic¿s external behaviour: the role of power in driving foreign policy, the tension between ideology and pragmatism, the country¿s strategic culture and the importance of the nuclear program. The second part then examines Iran¿s relations with key countries and regions, with a focus on its more immediate environment and on its relations with great powers.

Focuses on the Jewish-Palestinian conflict within the state of Israel and the general issue of the role played by modern states in either mitigating majority-minority conflict or exacerbating it. This title includes chapters that focus on theoretical models, and comparable historical, legal or political patterns of development.

Despite notable socio-economic development in the Arab region, a deficit in democracy and political rights has continued to prevail. This book examines the major reasons underlying the persistence of this democracy deficit over the past decades, drawing on case studies from across the Arab world to explore economic development, political institutions and social factors, and the impact of oil wealth and regional wars.

Examines some of the most pressing issues facing the Turkish political establishment, focusing on the issues of nationalism, the Kurds and political Islam.

One of the implications of Orientalism is that the Arab world, as a homogenous entity, is often analysed as an anomaly within the international system. This book argues that, despite their differences, societies across the globe ultimately construct their own history according to very similar dynamics and tensions. The methodological approach of this book, using different countries within the Arab world as models, offers the reader an analysis of relations between the elites and their opposition in a variety of settings. A definition of the political structure of each country is drawn from this analysis before potential future scenarios, as according to country specific experts, are proposed. This model provides a useful contribution to students and scholars of political science and international relations.Through providing a comparative study of the political regimes currently operating in the Arab world; their elites, civil society, power resources and political resistance, this book illustrates that despite the image of homogeneity sometimes portrayed by the Arab world, it is the multiplicity of models and heterogeneity of regimes that constitute reality.

This book focuses on the Jewish-Palestinian conflict within the state of Israel and the general issue of the role played by modern states in either mitigating majority-minority conflict or exacerbating it. A comparative study, the chapters that concentrate on theoretical models, and comparable historical, legal or political patterns of development.

This book addresses the major generators of conflict and toleration at shared holy places in Palestine and Israel. Examining the religious, political and legal issues, the authors show how the holy sites have been a focus of both conflict and cooperation between different communities.

Turkey is ninty-nine per cent Muslim, its ruling party, Justice and Development Party (JDP), comes from but denies its Islamist pedigree and has a very secular feel. However, the deeply secular regime distrusts the JDP with regard to its 'true' colours. This book makes sense of these paradoxical perceptions.

Provides a comparative examination of a number of different refugee return situations in order to identify pre-requisites for an effective and durable Palestinian repatriation programme. This book contains contributions from members of the UN and other NGOs as well as academics.