The Contemporary Middle East
About the Book Series
The Contemporary Middle East Series provides the first systematic attempt at studying the key actors of the dynamic, complex and strategically important MENA region, employing an innovative common format which in each case study provides an easily-digestible analysis of the origins of the state, its contemporary politics, economics and international relations.
Libya: Continuity and Change
3rd Edition
By Ronald Bruce St John
November 03, 2026
Libya: Continuity and Change offers a comprehensive reappraisal of Libya’s modern history, challenging conventional narratives that overemphasise rupture while overlooking enduring structural patterns. This third edition traces Libya’s development from its early historical foundations through the ...
Oman: The Sultanate on the Edge
1st Edition
By Francis Owtram
November 03, 2026
Oman: The Sultanate on the Edge offers a timely and insightful analysis of Oman’s evolving role as a mediator and its precarious position within a volatile regional landscape. Tracing Oman’s trajectory from the rise of Sultan Qaboos in 1970 to the reform agenda of Sultan Haitham, the book examines ...
Turkey: The Second Republic
1st Edition
By Birol Başkan, Burak Özpek
May 07, 2024
Focused on the rise of the Justice and Development Party (AKP) over the last two decades, this book discusses and contextualizes key events and developments in Turkish politics, economics and foreign policy. The authors begin by exploring the longer-term historical trends that shaped the country, ...
Iraq: Power, Institutions, and Identities
1st Edition
By Andrew J. Flibbert
March 20, 2023
Addressing major political developments in Iraq over the past century, this book provides an up-to-date and accessible study of the country, advancing a sympathetic yet balanced understanding of its critical role in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region and in global affairs. The author ...
Yemen: Poverty and Conflict
1st Edition
By Helen Lackner
July 15, 2022
Focusing on the fundamental reasons underlying the lasting crisis of the Yemeni Civil War, this book frames contemporary Yemen and assesses prospects beyond the conflict, identifying the factors which will determine its future internal and international characteristics. Building on Helen ...
Egypt: A Fragile Power
1st Edition
By Eberhard Kienle
November 19, 2021
Focusing on authoritarian rule, unresolved economic challenges, and external dependency, the volume explains the salient political and economic features of contemporary Egypt against the backdrop of its history since the beginning of the 19th century. Presenting a comprehensive account of ...
Afghanistan: Politics and Economics in a Globalising State
1st Edition
By Niamatullah Ibrahimi, William Maley
December 05, 2019
This book offers an overview of the formation of the Afghan state and of the politics, economic challenges and international relations of contemporary Afghanistan. It opens with an account of some of the key features that make Afghanistan unique and proceeds to discuss how the Afghan state ...
Israel
1st Edition
By Ilan Pappé
April 30, 2018
Israel is not the only ‘new’ state around, but it is one of the few states whose legitimacy is still questioned, and its future affects the future of the Middle East as a whole and probably the stability of the international system. The reasons for this unique reality lie in its past and the ...
Iran: Stuck in Transition
1st Edition
By Anoushiravan Ehteshami
February 16, 2017
Having been ruled, more or less continuously, by a range of monarchical dynasties for three millennia, the end of the monarchy in Iran was relatively sudden, taking place in two short years. Since then, Iran has gone through tumultuous change, yet is still apparently caught in a cycle of transition...
The United Arab Emirates: Power, Politics and Policy-Making
1st Edition
By Kristian Ulrichsen
December 13, 2016
Led by Dubai and Abu Dhabi, the UAE has become deeply embedded in the contemporary system of international power, politics, and policy-making. Only an independent state since 1971, the seven emirates that constitute the UAE represent not only the most successful Arab federal experiment but also the...
Morocco: Challenges to tradition and modernity
2nd Edition
By James Sater
June 02, 2016
The first edition of Morocco was published one year before the mass protests of the Arab Spring rocked the Moroccan state. Post-Arab Spring, the country has a new constitution and government, but the state remains uncompromising on any true reform of the monarchy’s claims to power. This new edition...
Tunisia: From stability to revolution in the Maghreb
2nd Edition
By Christopher Alexander
May 23, 2016
The first edition of Tunisia was released just nine months before the eruption of the Arab Spring. The most substantial period of political unrest felt by the Arab world in a half century originated in Tunisia, a fact that confounded expectations about Tunisian politics. This new edition builds ...