What are the characteristics of a contemporary Middle East whose politics have been transformed in recent years by a wide range of important external and regional developments? Despite the persistence of many old attitudes and problems, its key features include declining Arab-Israeli conflict, higher priority on economic development, weakening of radical states, emergence of individual […]
Leadership and the Economy in the Arab World, 1950-1996
This paper examines the state’s role in economic development for several Arab countries in comparison with the state’s active and effective role in Europe and East Asia. The European Experience and Gerschenkron’s Thesis According to Alexander Gerschenkron, the first industrialized nation, Britain, gradually developed a set of institutions able to support industrialization. Most important […]
The Logic of Contemporary Turkish Politics
Contemporary Turkish politics have been shaken by a number of destabilizing factors which have redefined its traditional spectrum of parties, voter loyalties, and values. Cultural cleavages seemingly emerged to replace an earlier socioeconomic divide of the public opinion in the Turkish party system. These factors include deepening international crises in the Balkans and Caucasus, the […]
Egyptian-Israeli Relations
For 25 years, Egyptian-Israeli relations have often been characterized by tension. Today, their frosty relationship not only reflects past chapters but also competitive outlooks on how Middle East nations and peoples might relate to one another. Their peace has survived misperceptions, regional and international political changes, and unanticipated governmental upheavals. Neither seeks a major […]
Iran: Politics, the Military and Gulf Security
When Iranians went to the polls on May 23, 1997, they were voting for change. The result, a landslide of 69 percent for the relatively moderate cleric Muhammad Khatame, took most observers by surprise. The key question about Iran today is how this result will affect the country’s political system and foreign policy. “The mood […]
Israel’s Lebanon Policy
“In late August 1997, Hizbullah rockets rained down on the inhabitants of the upper Galilee and residents of south Lebanon came under punishing fire from Israel and its South Lebanese Army (SLA) ally.” The escalating burst of mutually retaliatory strikes showed south Lebanon remained as volatile as ever. (1) In April 1996, Israel’s “Operation Grapes […]