Description
The Middle East state system, which was largely an artificial construct of the post-World War I international
order, hos faced enormous challenges since Arch uprisings erupted in December 2010. The collection oi essays in this volume, based on a seminar held by the Moshe Dayan Center for Middle Eastern and African Studies in the 2012-2013 academic year, examines state cohesion in the Middle East in the aftermath of the uprisings, and seeks to explain how the region has slipped sideways since 2010, and what it might mean for the existing framework of states. How are the individual states coping with these challenges Are they succeeding If not, what are the potential consequences for the cohesion of states, societies, and the region What kinds of broad patterns are emerging How are these transformations manifesting themselves? The essays presented in this volume address these issues and more, and attempt to analyze the meaning of the momentous change that has taken place across the region since December 2010.
Table of Contents
Introduction: State Cohesion in the Middle East Historical and Contemporary Perspectives, Bruce Maddy-Weitzman and Asher Susser
Part I - Thematic Issues
The Arab State between Sectarianism, Nationalism, and Islamism, Elisheva Machlis
State Cohesiveness, Regime Stability, and the Economy in the Arab World, Paul Rivlin
Al-Qa’ida and the “Arab Spring’’: Constraints and Opportunities, Esther Webman
From Vidims to Victors: The Kurdish Challenge to the State in the Middle East, Ofra Bengio
Part II - The Fertile Crescent and Arabia
Syria: Between Dar’a and Suwayda: Communities and State in the Shadow of the Syrian Revolution, Eyal Zisser
From Deba’thification to “Justice and Accountability”: Iraqi Reform in a Wider Context, Ronen Zeidel
Lebanon in Crisis: The Specter of Sedarian Strife, Joel D. Parker
The Imperative of Saudi Reform: Conspiracy or Necessity? Brandon Friedman
“The Arab Spring”: The Struggle for Yemen’s Future, Uzi Rabi
Part III - Egypt and Sudan
The Copts of Egypt: fully Fledged Citizens or a New Dhimmi? Mira Tzoreff
Nasser Nostalgia in post-Mubarak Egypt, Joyce van de Bildt
Cohesion and Dissolution: The Cue of Sudan, Irit Back
Part IV - North Africa
The Revolution’s Aftermath: Tunisia’s Road to a Renewed Polity, Daniel Zisenwine
The Libyan” Arab Spring’’ and Us Aftermath: Challenges to State Order and National Cohesion, Yehudit Ronen
Algeria in 2013: Confronting Change, Gideon Cera
How did the Moroccan Monarchy Survive the “Arab Spring”? C. Richard Pennell
Part V - The Palestinians
Sunset at Dawn: The Disintegration of the Palestinian State Project, Menacl-i€m Klein
The Palestinians: A Test of Governmental Stability and Social Cohesion, Ephraim Lavie
Part VI - Turkey and Iran
Gezi Park! From “Father State” To Custodianship, Hay Eytan Cohen Yanarocak
Turkey, Its Kurds, and the Gezi Park Protests, Duygu Atlas
The 1979 lranian Revolution in Historical Perspective, Meir Litvak
About the Author
Brandon Friedman is the director of research at the Moshe Dayan Center for Middle Eastern and African Studies, Tel Aviv University, where he is a member of the faculty of humanities, lecturing on modern Middle Eastern history and historiography.
Bruce Maddy-Weitzman is senior research fellow at the Moshe Dayan Center for Middle Eastern and African Studies, Tel Aviv University. He is the author of The Crystallization of the Arab State System, 1945–1954 and the coeditor of The Maghrib in the New Century: Identity, Religion, and Politics; The Camp David Summit-What Went Wrong?; and Religious Radicalism in the Greater Middle East.
Related Interest
November 2014