The Middle East Today

Description

The Middle East Today is an accessible and comprehensive introductory textbook for undergraduate students of Middle East Studies, Middle East politics and geography. The book features a host of pedagogical features to assist students with their learning. These include detailed maps, case studies on key issues, boxed sections, suggestions for further reading. In addition, the book is further supplemented by a companion website that contains sample chapters, a selection of maps formatted for use in presentations, annotated links to online resources and websites, hints and pointers for answering the end of chapter questions.

The book highlights a host of current issues facing the Middle East, linking them to the rich political, geographical and cultural history of the region. The author examines the crises and conflicts, both current and potential, likely to dominate the region in coming years.

Key chapters focus on:

• stereotypes of the region
• the making of the modern state system
• contemporary Islamist thought
• the Arab-Israeli conflicts
• the struggle for economic and social development
• democracy and political transformation in the region.

Designed to both introduce and develop a deeper understanding of this rapidly changing region, The Middle East Today is an essential text for all students of Middle East Studies, Middle East politics and geography.

Reviews

'This textbook provides a clearly written, concise introduction to the modern Middle East. Short, easy-to-digest pieces are augmented by textbooks and maps, exploring all aspects of the region from politics and government, to history, geography, and various cultural perspectives. While perhaps too advanced for some high school students, this book would find a home in Advanced Placement or International Baccalaureate classes or libraries meant to support them, and is also suitable for many university level survey courses on the middle east' - Middle East Outreach Council, Honorable Mention, Fall 2009

Contents

Part One: Introduction to the Region

1: The Middle East and North Africa: Between Image and Reality

2: The Geography of the Middle East and North Africa

Part Two: Emergence and Evolution of the Region

3: The Contemporary State System

4: Historical Foundations

5: The Making of the Modern State System

6: The Emergence of Independent States and Geopolitics

7: Contemporary Islamist Thought

Part Three: Contemporary Issues and Challenges

8: The Arab-Israeli Conflicts: A Conflict Resolution Perspective

9: The Struggle for Economic and Social Development

10: ‘Democracy’ and Political Transformation

Part Four: The Future of the Region

11: The Coming Challenges: Key Issues to Watch

Author Bio

Dona J. Stewart is the director of the Middle East Institute at Georgia State University. She is a specialist in the human and political geography of the Middle East and a former Fulbright scholar to Jordan. Her research interests also include urbanization and land-use change, especially in Egypt.

Related Subjects

1. Regional Geography - Human Geography
2. Middle East Geography
3. Middle East Studies
4. Middle East Politics
5. Middle East Politics