Constitutional Politics in the Middle East: With Special Reference to Turkey, Iraq, Iran and Afghanistan (Onati International Series in Law and Society) [Hardcover]

Saïd Amir Amir Arjomand (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 15, 2008 | ISBN-10: 184113774X | ISBN-13: 978-1841137742

This collection is the first comparative and interdisciplinary study of constitutional politics and constitution-making in the Middle East. The historical background and setting are fully explored in two substantial essays placing the contemporary experience in the contexts, respectively, of the ancient Middle Eastern legal and political tradition, and of the 19th- and 20th-century legal codification and political modernization. These are followed by a general analysis of the treatment of human rights in relation to Islam in Middle Eastern constitutions, as well as a comparative scrutiny of the process of constitution-making in Iran, Afghanistan, and Iraq, with reference to the available constitutional theories. Additional essays are country-by-country case studies of Turkey, Afghanistan, and Iraq, with the case of Iran being covered as a special point of reference. Other contributions examine the making and subsequent transformation of the Turkish Constitution of 1982 against current theories of constitutional and deliberative democracy, as well as the institutional mechanism for protecting the ideological foundations of the Turkish Republic, most notably the Turkish Constitutional Court which offers a surprising parallel to the Iranian Council of Guardians. Constitutional Politics in the Middle East examines this long road to political reconstruction, drawing general analytical lessons from, and showing the consequences of, the origins of the constitutions of Turkey and Iran in revolutions, and of Afghanistan and Iraq in war and foreign invasion. Adding valuable insight into how political systems are constructed and reformed, this important and topical book will be of interest to Middle East scholars, policy specialists, political scientists, and those concerned with constitutional studies.

Editorial Reviews

Review

the unique feature of this book is that it is one of the first, or even the first, which describes the constitutional development in a large variety of Islamic, Middle Eastern countries in a broad comparative perspective, highlighting peculiarities, similarities, and problems of the different legal systemsnot only does the compilation give great insight into constitutional development in the region, but it also provides innovative parallels between various constitutional systems, which have scarcely been noticedhithertoit is highly advisable for anyone working on the public and constitutional law of the region to read this book.Ramin MoschtaghiEuropean Journal of International LawVol 20, No 2, April 2009...both important and [welcome because it sheds light on the murky spaces in the constitutionalism discourse and dispels many myths about Islam...By comparing Iran's constitutional experience with that of its neighbor, Afghanistan, Arjomand sharpens our understanding of the central questions of the role and potential of Islam in effecting social change...by insightfully capturing the complexity and challenges of constitution-making in the Middle East, the book lives up to its editor's hope that its topic indeed deserves the same attention as other salient contemporarytrends.Vijayashri SripatiHuman Rights QuarterlyVol 30, 2008

About the Author

Said Amir Arjomand is Distinguished Service Professor of Sociology at the State University of New York at Stony Brook and the founder and President (1996-2002, 2005-08) of the Association for the Study of Persianate Societies.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 210 pages
• Publisher: Hart Publishing (January 15, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 184113774X
• ISBN-13: 978-1841137742
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,705,910 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)