1st Edition

Routledge Handbook of International Relations in the Middle East

Edited By Shahram Akbarzadeh Copyright 2019
    456 Pages
    by Routledge

    456 Pages 6 B/W Illustrations
    by Routledge

    This handbook examines the regional and international dynamics of the Middle East. It challenges the state society dichotomy to make sense of decision-making and behavior by ruling regimes. The 33 chapter authors include the world’s leading scholars of the Middle East and International Relations (IR) in order to make sense of the region. This synthesis of area studies expertise and IR theory provides a unique and rigorous account of the region’s current dynamics, which have reached a crisis point since the beginning of the Arab Spring.



    The Middle East has been characterized by volatility for more than a century. Although the region attracts significant scholarly interest, IR theory has rarely been used as a tool to understand events. The constructivist approach in IR highlights the significance of state identity, shaped by history and culture, in making sense of international relations. The authors of this volume consider how IR theory can elucidate the patterns and principles that shape the region, in order to provide a rigorous account of the contemporary challenges of the Middle East.



    The Routledge Handbook of International Relations in the Middle East provides comprehensive coverage of International Relations issues in the region. Thus, it offers key resources for researchers and students interested in International Relations and the Middle East.

    1. The blurred line between state identity and realpolitik Shahram Akbarzadeh
    2. Neoclassical Realism: Domestic Politics, Systemic Pressures, and the impact on Foreign Policy since the Arab Spring Thomas Juneau,  Steven E. Lobell,  Norrin Ripsman and Larry Rubin
    3. What constructivism? Vendulka Kubálková
    4. Historical sociology and Middle East international relations Ewan Stein
    5. Subaltern Realism Meets the Arab World Mohammad Ayoob
    6. Islam, Political Islam, and the State System Frederic Volpi
    7. Don’t Shoot the Elephant: Middle East stability after the Iranian nuclear deal Patricia Lewis and Karim Kemal
    8. The Revolutionary Guard in Iranian Domestic and Foreign Power Politics Farzan Sabet and Roozbeh Safshekan
    9. The Arab Uprising and Regional Power Struggle Raymond Hinnesbuch
    10. U.S.-Israel Relations During the Obama Administration: Fundamental Shift, or Adaptation to New Realities? Robert Looney
    11. Saudi Arabia and Iran: Islam and Foreign Policy in the Middle East Simon Mabon
    12. The Arab Spring and Russian Foreign Policy toward the Middle East Mark Katz
    13. China’s Foray into the Middle East: from Ambivalence to Ambition? Michael Clarke
    14. Oil Production, Innovation, and Politics in the Middle East Hamid E.Ali and Nesreen N. Al Anbar
    15. Qatar: An Ambitious Small State Matthew Gray
    16. GCC Foreign Policy: The Struggle for Consensus  Kristian Coates Ulrichsen
    17. EU Policy in the Middle East: Shifting Dynamics Christian Koch
    18. Old and New Challenges for Ethnic and Religious Minorities in the Middle East Jordi Tejel
    19. UNSCR 1325: A Framework for Women’s Peace Activism in the Middle East? Sophie Richter-Devroe
    20. The demise of the Arab strongman? Authoritarianism and the future of the Middle East Pietro Marzo and Francesco Cavatorta
    21. State breakdown and its beneficiaries: the Kurds  Denise Natali
    22. Strategic decision-making of Middle Eastern armed non-state actors Wietse van den Berge
    23. Islamic State: Aberration, or Accelerant of System-wide Changes to Come? Michael S. Smith II
    24. The Iran-Hizbullah relationship in the Arab Spring Shahram Akbarzadeh
    25. The Muslim Brotherhood and An-Nahda after the Arab Spring: a Failed Project Alison Pargeter
    26. Transition and the Arab Spring George Joffe
    27. Shock absorption Palestinian-Israel status quo 2009-17 Philip Leech-Ngo
    28. The rise and fall of Turkey in the Arab Spring Paul Williams

    Biography

    Shahram Akbarzadeh is Research Professor in Middle East and Central Asian Politics at Deakin University and the Deputy Director (International) of the Alfred Deakin Institute for Citizenship and Globalisation, Deakin University (Australia). He held a prestigious ARC Future Fellowship (2012–2016) on the Role of Islam in Iran’s Foreign Policy-making and recently completed a Qatar Foundation grant on Sectarianism in the Middle East.