This collection of articles attempts to assess Jordan's position in the region in the light of its long quest for legitimacy, both as a state and as a Hashemite monarchy. The editors of the volume feel that developments since 1967 and particularly during the last decade have weakened the tendencies previously prevailing among various elements in the Arab world to question Jordan's legitimacy. Moreover, it is suggested that Jordan's position in the inter-Arab system has considerably improved.

Middle East Sources provides an invaluable resource for the busy librarian, student or scholar with Middle Eastern interests. It aims to guide readers to the major collections of books and other materials on the subject in the UK and Ireland, as well as to some lesser known but nonetheless interesting collections in smaller libraries. Entries are fully up to date and include information on addresses (including telephone, fax and e-mail details), brief descriptions of collections held, along with references to relevant catalogue material and other directories. The guide also highlights the extent of collections and gives help in accessing. The MELCOM Area Specialisation Scheme (MASS) designation of the collections is also included where relevant.

Strategically placed on the global chess board, as well as controlling vast oil resources, the Middle East was one of the main theatres of Cold War. In the 1950s the Soviet Union had taken advantage of Arab Nationalists’ disillusion with British and French Imperialism, along with the emerging Arab-Israeli conflict, to establish relations with Egypt, Syria and Iraq. The United States responded by moving in to shore up the Western position. Confrontation was inevitable. Superpower Intervention in the Middle East was written in 1978, when this confrontation was at its height. The book’s main theme focuses on how the superpowers became competitively involved in local Middle East conflicts over which they could exercise only limited control, and the risks of nuclear confrontation of the kind which occurred at the end of the 1973 Arab-Israeli war. The threat to Western oil supplies is also examined. This is a fascinating work, of great relevance to scholars and students of Middle Eastern history and political diplomacy, as well as those with an interest in the relationship between the Western superpowers and this volatile region.

Most books ongmate as essays of limited scope or as doctoral dissertations whose findings await a receptive audience. Although this study passed through both these metamorphoses, it owes its birth to a mere coincidence. As a graduate student in the Political Science Department of The Hebrew University and a junior research fellow at the university's Soviet and East European Research Centre, I was responsible for documenting pronouncements relevant to the USSR's Middle Eastern policy that appeared in the CPSU organ Pravda. Within a few months I was assigned the task of analyzing excerpts from the Trade Union's organ Trud, only to discover that the two newspapers adopted diametrically differing attitudes toward some crucial issues. Trained as I was to view the Soviet system as a totalitarian, cohesive entity and the Russian media as a centrally controlled, monolithic means of mass manipulation, I was rather bewildered by my findings. An attempt to assess and rationalize this empirical reality resulted in two essays, each dedicated to the analysis of a policy group as represented by the press organ officially declared to be its platform. Special thanks are due to Professor Roger Kanet of the University of Illinois, editor of the journal Soviet Union, and to the editorial board of Soviet Studies, whose valuable suggestions and probing queries helped transform these crude attempts at systematic analysis into publishable papers, unwittingly laying the foundation for a doctoral thesis and, subsequently, for this book.

In the second edition of The New Middle East: What Everyone Needs to Know, renowned Middle East scholar James L. Gelvin explains how in the aftermath of the collapse of the USSR, the American invasion of Iraq, and the Arab uprisings of 2010-11, a new Middle East has emerged. Syria, Libya, and Yemen have become "crisis states," where warlords vie against governments and each other. The economies of Iran, Turkey, and Lebanon, weakened by corruption, sanctions, and neoliberal economic policies, have imploded. Some states have doubled-down on repression, while others intervene in the internal affairs of their neighbors with impunity. The revised and expanded edition explores these hallmarks of the New Middle East, along with the end of American hegemony in the region, the expansion of "conflict zones," the continued centrality of the Saudi-Iranian competition, and the ramifications of the breakdown of the Israel-Palestine peace process. It also highlights the crisis of human security brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, bad governance, stagnant economies, poor healthcare and educational delivery systems, climate change, food and water insecurity, population growth and imbalance, and the unprecedented displacement of populations. In a concise question-and-answer format, Gelvin outlines the social, political, and economic contours of the New Middle East, illuminating the current crisis in the region and exploring how it is likely to evolve in the decades to come.

The first succinct and authoritative overview of the making of the modern Middle East, this lucid book brings a valuable mix of historical perspectives and contemporary analysis to a wide audience of readers seeking expert knowledge about this troubled and fascinating region. Giving a rich perspective on the region's historical and political evolution, the book traces the influence of factors such as religion, culture, and economics and illuminates events and topics currently in the news. With its broad thematic sweep and its balanced presentation of contentious issues, it is essential reading for general readers and students who want to better understand the world today. Mehran Kamrava sets the stage with a concise discussion of the evolution of Islam and the religion's profound role in the region. He then looks at, in turn, the rise and fall of the Ottomans, the trials of independence and state-building, the emergence and fiery spread of nationalism, the two Arab-Israeli wars of 1967 and 1973, the Iranian Revolution, and the two Gulf Wars and beyond, including discussion of the invasion of Iraq by the United States. After tracing the consequences of these historical events for a host of political phenomena, Kamrava gives detailed attention to three pivotal issues: the challenges of economic development, the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, and the question of democracy. He also examines issues that will shape the future: population growth, environmental pollution, and water scarcity.