Shocks and Rivalries in the Middle East and North Africa - Paperback

by Imad Mansour (Editor), William R. Thompson (Editor)

This is the first book to analyze the dynamics of interstate rivalries in the international relations of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) and how they have changed dramatically in recent decades. The authors explore rivalry origins, persistence, escalation, and termination. They also analyze how shock events, such as internal revolts or regional wars, can change the trajectory of rivalries, including to begin or end them. The rivalries in the book, including both contemporary and twentieth-century rivalries, are Israel-Iran, Iran-Saudi Arabia, Iran-Turkey, Iran-Iraq-Syria, Egypt-Saudi Arabia, and Algeria-Morocco. Other chapters provide analysis across rivalries and over time. This book will address an understudied phenomenon in the international relations of the Middle East and extends international relations scholars' understanding of rivalry dynamics in global politics. The book will appeal to scholars of international relations and Middle East studies and will be a supplemental reading for graduate and upper-level undergraduate classes.

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Political Science / Middle East Studies

"A strong combination of theory and detailed case studies that deepens our understanding of shocks and rivalries in a region that we too often assume that we know more about than we do."Paul F. Diehl, Ashbel Smith Professor of Political Science, University of Texas at Dallas

The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) has experienced more internal rivalries than any other region, making a detailed analysis vital to understanding the region's complex political, cultural, and economic history. Shocks and Rivalries in the Middle East and North Africa is the first book to examine issue-driven antagonisms within groups of MENA states and their impact on relations within the region. The volume also considers how shock events, such as internal revolts and regional wars, can alter interstate tensions and the trajectory of conflict.

The state groupings studied in this volume include Israel and Iran; Iran and Saudi Arabia; Iran and Turkey; Iran, Iraq, and Syria; Egypt and Saudi Arabia; and Algeria and Morocco. Essays are theoretically driven, breaking down the region into a collection of systems that exemplify how state and nonstate actors interact. Through this approach, contributors shed rare light on the origins, persistence, escalation, and resolution of MENA rivalries and trace significant patterns of regional change.

Shocks and Rivalries in the Middle East and North Africa addresses an understudied phenomenon in the international relations of the MENA region, and it expands our knowledge of rivalry dynamics in global politics.

Imad Mansour is an adjunct professor in the Department of Political Science at McGill University and a nonresident scholar at the Middle East Institute in Washington, DC. He is the author of Statecraft in the Middle East: Foreign Policy, Domestic Politics and Security.

William R. Thompson is Distinguished Professor and Donald A. Rogers Professor of Political Science emeritus at Indiana University, editor in chief of the Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Politics, and an affiliate professor at the University of Washington.

Contributors: Meliha Benli Altunışık, Paul Bezerra, John Calabrese, Kelly Marie Gordell, Marwan Kabalan, Imad Mansour, Karen Rasler, William R. Thompson, Thomas J. Volgy, Thomas Keith Wilson, Yahia H. Zoubir

Author Biography

Imad Mansour is an adjunct professor in the Department of Political Science at McGill University and a nonresident scholar at the Middle East Institute (Washington, DC). He is the author of Statecraft in the Middle East: Foreign Policy, Domestic Politics and Security.

William R. Thompson is Distinguished Professor and Donald A. Rogers Professor of Political Science Emeritus at Indiana University, editor in chief of the Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Politics, and an affiliated professor at the University of Washington.