This book analyzes the political obstacles to economic recovery, and the economic consequences of democratic political reforms. The contributors focus on rulers of shaky states where civil strife has caused economic devastation. If rebuilding requires regime change, are we asking these governments to put themselves out of business?

In recent decades, the Middle East and North Africa region (MENA) has experienced more frequent and severe conflicts than in any other region of the world, exacting a devastating human toll. The region now faces unprecedented challenges, including the emergence of violent non-state actors, significant destruction, and a refugee crisis bigger than any since World War II. This paper raises awareness of the economic costs of conflicts on the countries directly involved and on their neighbors. It argues that appropriate macroeconomic policies can help mitigate the impact of conflicts in the short term, and that fostering higher and more inclusive growth can help address some of the root causes of conflicts over the long term. The paper also highlights the crucial role of external partners, including the IMF, in helping MENA countries tackle these challenges.

For decades, US foreign policy in the Middle East has been on autopilot: Seek Arab-Israeli peace, fight terrorism, and urge regimes to respect human rights. Every US administration puts its own spin on these initiatives, but none has successfully resolved the region’s fundamental problems. In Seven Pillars: What Really Causes Instability in the Middle East? a bipartisan group of leading experts representing several academic and policy disciplines unravel the core causes of instability in the Middle East and North Africa. Why have some countries been immune to the Arab Spring? Which governments enjoy the most legitimacy and why? With more than half the region under 30 years of age, why does education and innovation lag? How do resource economies, crony capitalism, and inequality drive conflict? Are ethnic and sectarian fault lines the key factor, or are these more products of political and economic instability? And what are the wellsprings of extremism that threaten not only the United States but, more profoundly, the people of the region? The answers to these questions should help policymakers and students of the region understand the Middle East on its own terms, rather than just through a partisan or diplomatic lens. Understanding the pillars of instability in the region can allow the United States and its allies to rethink their own priorities, adjust policy, recalibrate their programs, and finally begin to chip away at core challenges facing the Middle East. Contributors: Thanassis Cambanis Michael A. Fahy Florence Gaub Danielle Pletka Bilal Wahab A. Kadir Yildirim

In the modern globalized business world, entrepreneurial success can be more difficult to achieve. Innovativeness, effective decision-making, and a drive for success are just a few factors influencing entrepreneurial behavior. Entrepreneurship and Business Innovation in the Middle East is a comprehensive reference source for the latest scholarly material on the analysis of entrepreneurial activities in the framework of cultural diversity. Highlighting crucial perspectives and topics in business contexts, such as job satisfaction, intrapreneurship, and corporate governance, this book is ideally designed for academics, professionals, practitioners, and students interested in business enterprises in the Arab culture.

Governance in the Middle East and North Africa will analyze developments in this region of major importance, looking at current issues in historical perspective, and will be essential reading for academics, students and policy makers, and for anyone with an interest in Middle East policies and politics.

Gulf Charities and Islamic Philanthropy in the "Age of Terror" and Beyond is the first book to be published on the charities of Saudi Arabia and the Arabian Gulf, covering their work both domestic and international. From a diversity of viewpoints, the book addresses: the historical roots of Islamic philanthropy in religious traditions and geopolitical movements; the interactions of the Gulf charities with "Western" relief and development institutions - now under pressure owing to budgetary constraints; numerous case studies from the Middle East, Africa, and South Asia; the impact of violent extremism on the sector, with the legal repercussions that have followed - especially in the USA; the recent history of attempts to alleviate the obstacles faced by bona fide Islamic charities, whose absence from major conflict zones now leaves a vacuum for extremist groups to penetrate; the prospects for a less politicized Islamic charity sector when the so-called "war on terror" eventually loses its salience.

Despite notable socio-economic development in the Arab region, a deficit in democracy and political rights has continued to prevail. This book examines the major reasons underlying the persistence of this democracy deficit over the past decades, drawing on case studies from across the Arab world to explore economic development, political institutions and social factors, and the impact of oil wealth and regional wars.

Recalling an unforgettable trip throughout Afghanistan in Nowroz 1978, only three weeks before the bloody communist coup d'tat, the author uses places along the way to describe how foreign conquerors, nationalist policies, a variety of ethnicities and religions, and the Silk Route combined to mold present-day Afghanistan. Such places provided the stage for the famous battles of ancient and modern times, as they provided the different livelihoods of the afghan population that still lives mostly from agriculture and livestock production. Gripping accounts on the political and security transitions since 9/11 have not been matched by similar ones on the economic and social ones, which is the purpose of this book. Based on what she saw in a more recent visit in 2011, the author explains to a general audience how misguided economic policies, misplaced priorities, and wasteful aid have led Afghanistan to an infamous record: the country not only relapsed into conflict but became the most aid-dependent country in the world. Muddling through, as in the past, is no longer an option as NATO troops withdraw and aid falls sharply. The author makes a proposal to help the country to move away from the vicious circle of insecurity, aid, drug and food dependency to a virtuous one of genuine investment, rural development, employment opportunities and improved livelihoods. The cost of the Afghan war-in terms of human lives and taxpayers' money-has been outrageous, and taxpayers should demand a debate among all stakeholders on how to move forward.

This book brings together policymakers and academics to analyse the international community’s performance in post-war statebuilding projects. In the past twenty years, statebuilding has emerged as a centerpiece of international efforts to stabilize violent conflicts. From the Balkans, to Iraq, to Afghanistan, it has become widely accepted that statebuilding—defined as the development of transparent and accountable political institutions, stable and sustainable economic structures, professional public administrations, and civilian-controlled security services—is essential to the long-term stability of post-conflict settlements. The International Community and Statebuilding brings together senior-level policymakers and academics in order to analyse the international community’s performance in post-war statebuilding projects. Filling an important gap in the existing body of work on this topic, the contributors explore how international state builders have attempted to negotiate the intersections of multilateralism, competing strategic priorities and agendas, organizational complexity, and domestic politics. This book will be of much interest to students of statebuilding, peacebuilding, war and conflict studies, and International Relations in general.

The book dives into the socio-historical roots of the current ‘disintegration’ of the Yemeni state, proposing that it is the result of a long process of devaluation of the Yemeni economy through imperialistic means, in the historical era of Advanced American imperialism—starting in the 1970s—that is facing the rise of China since the 1980s. As the United States feels threatened by the blossoming of Chinese influence on the Red Sea and the strategic maritime straits of Hormuz and Bab-el-Mandeb, it is of utmost importance to understand the centrality of the war on Yemen. The disintegration of the Yemeni state since 2015, involving the disintegration of Yemeni sovereignty (in part through the fragmentation of the country), is a means of creating political chaos in a strategic country. The goal is to limit the growth of Chinese influence in the region of the Arab world, which threatens the financial superstructure of the global economic system based on the US dollar.