Politics and Change in the Middle East: Sources of Conflict and Accommodation [Paperback]

Roy Andersen (Author), Robert F. Siebert (Author), Jon G. Wagner (Author), Roy R. Andersen (Author), Robert F. Seibert (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0136218229 | ISBN-13: 978-0136218227 | Publication Date: July 3, 1997 | Edition: 5

Thoroughly revised and updated to keep pace with recent events, this introductory survey of the Middle East explains in depth the special and enduring role of Islam and presents a historical overview of the region. The authors examine contemporary issues on a thematic basis (not country by country) and offer an interdisciplinary social science perspective, choosing to focus on the interplay between economic, political, and cultural influences.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“This exceptional text, which is popular amongst instructors and students alike, contains reliable and well-presented information about the Middle East. Its excellent framework will help undergraduates better understand contemporary developments in the region by examining its history and culture, as well as the impact of Islam, colonialism, and globalization.”–Anca Turcu, University of Central Florida

--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

From the Publisher

This introductory survey of the Middle East first explains, in depth, the special role of Islam and presents an historical overview of the region, and then treats modern issues on a thematic basis (not country-by-country). --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 396 pages
• Publisher: Prentice Hall College Div; 5 edition (July 3, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0136218229
• ISBN-13: 978-0136218227
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,190,587 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A decent introductory text, August 28, 2004

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events3 - See all my reviews

This review is from: Politics and Change in the Middle East: Sources of Conflict and Accommodation (Paperback)

This book, along with it's companion, THE MIDDLE EAST by the Congressional Quarterly, was used in my undergraduate course on the History and Governments of the Middle East.

Politics and Change views the Middle East from a variety of perspectives: sociological, anthropological, political, historical and religious. It looks at the bases for diversity & unity in the region and the rise of Islam. It then discusses the formation of the early Islamic state and the development of the Sharia (religious law)from the Koran and the hadith (or statements and actions ascribed to Mohammad), the development of the Shia in opposition to the corrupt secular governments and the rise of the different sects. It then moves on to a discussion of Western Imperialism and the resulting development of nationalism and individual states (as opposed to the Umma or body of the believers as a whole), including the growth of Zionism and the establishment of the Israeli state.

Then changes in the political landscape, especially the (failed) Oslo Accord, are discussed as are religious and politics - and the 3 types of political elites and of the various forms leadership has taken. Moving on, it touches on the relations of the individual nations with the great powers (including the remnant of the now-defunct Soviet Union during its cold war competition with the United States) as well as looking at the foreign policies of the regional powers and at changes that have taken place globally (e.g., the fall of the old Soviet Union), the American-Iraq Persian Gulf War and the tensions with Kuwait and with regard to the Israeli-Palestine issue and Israel's relation to the larger Arab world.

Although this is only an introductory text, it makes a serious attempt at providing a holistic view of the Middle East and its often insoluble-appearing problems.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars gives historical perspective, November 24, 2006

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W Boudville (Terra, Sol 3) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Politics and Change in the Middle East: Sources of Conflict and Accommodation (8th Edition) (Paperback)

[A review of the 8th Edition, published in 2006.]

In this somewhat short text, the authors explain the turbulent history of the Middle East. Key ideas like a secular pan-Arabism, militant Islam and globalisation are invoked, as necessary to understanding the current region. We see how pan-Arabism gave rise to the Baathist regimes in Syria and Iraq. Though for the latter, at least till the American invasion of 2003. Globalisation is a major cause of outside forces, like secular consumerist societies of Europe and the US, overlapping with deeply traditional Muslim mores. Often to the puzzlement of both sides.

Of course, the role of Israel and Palestine has impacted so much in the region, and the book also addresses these factors.

While the text was written in 2006, it necessarily cannot deal significantly with the events in Iraq for 2006. Rather, you can read it as a historical perspective.

1.0 out of 5 stars Do not use this text book, January 3, 2012

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Mid East Poli Sci - See all my reviews

This review is from: Politics and Change in the Middle East (9th Edition) (Paperback)

Do not use this text book. I teach a class on Middle East Politics. I made the mistake of ordering the 10th edition of this book. It is full of hackneyed apologia for Islamic fanatics' suppression of women. For example, there is not a word condemning Saudi Arabia's treatment of women. Yet in the economics section we are told that women are leading figures on the Jeddah chamber of commerce. That sounds progressive and it is deceptive to students. Suppression of homosexuals and minorities is also buried. There is virtually no mention of the colonial powers drawing borders, installing Arab kings and creating states like Kuwait and Jordan. All references to Israel are negative, full of nasty jibes and repeated references to money. Israel is only viewed through hostility with its neighbors. All in all an inaccurate picture of the Middle East.