Earlier in the century, many in the region adopted the Eurocentric term ‘Middle East’ to describe the area where they lived. Doing so marked an undeclared acknowledgement of Western superiority. That imbalance remains in force today, despite their achievements-the attainment of independence, withdrawal of imperial powers, and consolidation of national identities. Engaging in […]
Israel, the Palestinian Authority, and the Arab States
For decades, the PLO depended on the Arab world’s diplomatic, financial, and military support to survive and to fight against Israel. Next to a stated determination to destroy Israel through violent means, the PLO Charter’s most important point was the claim that it had a right to demand the Arab states’ full support. This expectation […]
Political Participation Patterns of Turkish Women
If a society does not wage a common struggle to attain a common goal with its women and men, scientifically there is no way for it to get civilized or developed.’ — Mustafa Kemal Ataturk Citizens participate politically to obtain a share in the allocation of social resources. But in the contemporary world we see […]
New Directions in Middle East Deterrance: Implications for Arms Control
On a public level, the fundamental question of the Middle East WMD debate has always been about Israel’s policy of retaining a nuclear option and the impact this policy has had on the decisions of other regional states to pursue other WMD options as a possible counter to Israel’s decision. Certainly, this was the point […]
Portrait of the New Israeli Soldier
In Israel, where sensitivity to possible risks inherent in the peace process is still high and where security concerns retain a priority, Yitzhak Rabin emphasized in an open letter to all personnel in the Israel Defense Force (IDF) in June 1992: ‘We…shall no leave no stone upturned on the road to peace….As far as […]
Radical Islamic Political Groups in Turkey
Most observers in Turkey and abroad have viewed the Kurdish Workers’ Party (PKK) as the main threat to the Turkish state’s national unity and defense.(1) Despite recent interest in the Islamic fundamentalist Welfare Party (Refah Partisi, RP) growth, hardly any research examines the even more radical, violent Islamic movements in Turkey. (2) These most extreme […]