The Contemporary Middle East

by Yambert, Karl; Goldschmidt, Arthur, Jr. (CON); Telhami, Shibley (CON)

• ISBN13: 9780813344652
• ISBN10: 0813344654
• Edition: 2nd
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2010-07-27
• Publisher: Westview Pr

Summary

The Contemporary Middle East provides an accessible introduction to the region's most pressing concerns and enduring conflicts. This volume includes provocative contributions by an impressive array of leading scholars, journalists, and policy advisors, as well as major addresses by President Barack Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Author Biography

Karl Yambert received his Ph.D. from the University of California, Davis, and is executive editor with Westview Press.

Table of Contents

Preface to the Second Edition	p. xi
Acknowledgments	p. xiii
A Note on Editorial Matters	p. xv
Summary of Recent Events	p. xvii
Introduction	p. 1
History and Background
The Peoples and Cultures of the Middle East	p. 13
Within its regional unity, the Middle East possesses great cultural diversity. Differences of language, religion, and ethnicity create a complex mosaic of peoples.
The Middle East and its Political Systems	p. 31
Situated at the hub of Europe, Asia, and Africa, the Middle East is a crossroads of great strategic significance, both historically and looking forward into the future.
The Roots of Arab Bitterness	p. 39
Varieties of Arab nationalism all share a consistent distrust of the West, based on bitter historical experience.
Israel and Palestine
The Palestinians	p. 55
Contradictory promises to Jews and Palestinian Arabs set the stage for inevitable conflict following the 1948 establishment of Israel.
Israel and the Arabs, and Beyond	p. 67
Israel has battled Arab states since its founding and now faces a threat beyond the Arab world in Iran, which backs Hezbollah and Hamas, two militant enemies of Israel.
Ethnicity and Nation-Building in the State of Israel	p. 75
Israel's pluralistic society is shaped by Jewish communities outside the State of Israel as well as by Palestinians within territories administered by Israel.
Israeli-Palestinian Relations After the Oslo Accords	p. 87
Palestinian disillusionment with Israeli settlements, roads, and barriers in the West Bank has stalled peace efforts and led to a split between Fatah and Hamas.
The Palestinians and Israel	p. 105
In rejecting the Camp David II proposal in 2000, the Palestinian movement missed a historic opportunity to achieve a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Sharon's Fence	p. 115
Ariel Sharon's "security fence," new settlements, and unilateral withdrawal from Gaza were designed to deepen Israel's hold on the West Bank.
Israel, the Palestinians, Hamas, and Hizbollah	p. 123
Viewing the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as a United States versus Iran dynamic, the United States may have induced Israel to miss a chance for Israeli-Syrian peace.
The United States and Israel	p. 131
Broad support of Israel by the United States is accompanied by disagreements on many specifics of the Arab-Israeli conflict.
Hamas and the Palestinian Authority	p. 147
Measures to isolate and squeeze Hamas after its 2006 election victory many have backfired by increasing Iran's influence over Hamas.
Hamas-and Hezbollah, Syria, and Iran	p. 157
To neutralize Syrian and Iranian influence over Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon, Israel will have to find a way to withdraw from the West Bank.
Whither the Palestinians?	p. 165
The millions of Palestinian refugees and their right to return are not always represented by those Palestinians in Israel and the Occupied Territories.
Bar Ilan Speech	p. 177
Israel's prime minister endorses a two-state solution for the first time but hedges the concept with so many preconditions that the goal may remain unattainable.
Iraq and Iran
The Land and People of Modern Iraq	p. 187
Iraq must contend with the separatist tendencies of Shiite Arabs and Sunni Kurds, who were ruled until recently by a Sunni Arab minority.
The Iranian Revolution and its Consequences	p. 197
The Iranian Revolution of 1979 established a Shiite theocracy next door to Saddam Hussein, prompting him to invade Iran and begin the eight-year-long Iran-Iraq War.
Islamic Republic of Iran: Political Dynamics and Foreign Policy	p. 209
Iran's political culture contains an undercurrent of distrust of foreigners even as Iranian moderates in particular occasionally reach out to the West.
The Role of the Persian Gulf Region	p. 221
The United States has historically pursued a policy of "dual containment," playing Iraq against Iran so that neither can dominate the bulk of the world's known oil reserves.
Impacts of the Iraq War	p. 233
The Iraq War damaged US moral standing internationally, strengthened Hamas and Hezbollah, and established a Shiite-dominated Iraqi government friendly to Iran.
"You are Next"	p. 243
An American journalist describes the terrifying nature of everyday life in a Baghdad neighborhood amid Sunni-Shiite sectarian violence.
America's Troubled Moment in the Middle East	p. 251
In the aftermath of the Iraq War, the policies of Barack Obama toward Iraq and Iran have been surprisingly similar to the policies of George W. Bush.
Iran, Israel, and the United States	p. 267
The Israeli lobby influences US foreign policy to regard Iran as a regional threat, but the United States would do better to normalize relations with Iran.
The Iranian Predicament	p. 273
The United States rejected Iran's 2003 "Grand Bargain" that would have committed Iran to a two-state solution with Israel and to a peaceful nuclear program.
Iran and International Politics	p. 283
President Ahmadinejad seeks confrontation with the West to galvanize a nationalist constituency by suggesting that the very fabric of the Iranian nation is at stake.
Iran's Regional Foreign Policy	p. 295
The US rebuff of Iran as a member of the "axis of evil" contributed to Iran's strengthened ties with Russia, China, Syria, Hamas, and Hezbollah.
Perspectives on the Middle East and the United States
Islamist Perceptions of US Policy in the Middle East	p. 307
Islamism is a worldview in which the US support for Israel in particular is understood to be part of a larger Western effort to keep Muslim states weak and subservient.
The Legacy and Future of Jihad	p. 317
The essence of radical Islam today is the revival of jihad, the collective and violent struggle against non-Muslims, in order to expand the global realm of Islam.
New US Policies for a New Middle East?	p. 327
The Bush administration's ambitious plan to remake the Middle East fell short and left the United States facing many obstacles in pursuit of its goals in the region.
Cairo Speech	p. 341
President Obama seeks a "new beginning" by addressing sources of tension between the United States and the Muslims of the world.
The Contemporary Middle East: Some Questions, Some Answers	p. 355
A noted authority addresses questions about Iraq, Iran, the Arab-Israeli conflict, and the treatment of Arab and other Muslim war prisoners.
Select Bibliography	p. 367
Glossary	p. 379
Notable Persons	p. 391
Chronology Since World War I	p. 397
Notes	p. 403
Credits and Acknowledgments	p. 405
Index	p. 409
Maps
The Middle East	p. 11
Middle East languages	p. 15
Middle East religions	p. 19
Present extent of Islam	p. 21
The Sykes-Picot Agreement, 1916	p. 47
The Middle Eastern mandates, 1924	p. 50
Israel	p. 53
Palestine	p. 53
Territorial provisions of Oslo II	p. 93
Iraq	p. 185
Iran	p. 185
Ethnoreligious groups in Iraq	p. 191
Table of Contents provided by Ingram. All Rights Reserved.