Contemporary Middle East

The Contemporary Middle East provides an accessible introduction to the region’s most pressing concerns and enduring conflicts. It includes provocative contributions by an impressive array of leading scholars, journalists, and policy advisors. Contributors include notable academic authors Arthur Goldschmidt Jr., the late William L. Cleveland, Shibley Telhami, David W. Lesch, Bernard Reich, and Phebe Marr, complemented by selections from recent general-interest books by Marwan Bishara, Mark Perry, and Eugene Rogan, among others. With twelve new chapters, the third edition is a probing examination of the current affairs of the Middle East. Its multiple readings on strategic pairings of topics (Israel and the Palestinians, Iraq and Iran, Egypt and Syria) illuminate the region’s key issues from a variety of perspectives. Part- and chapter-opening summaries help establish background and context, and a new concluding chapter by Shibley Telhami, written specifically for this volume, candidly addresses fundamental questions about the United States and the Middle East today. Student resources include an annotated table of contents, a select bibliography, a glossary, brief biographies of notable persons, a chronology, and a summary of recent events, in addition to numerous maps. Preface to the Third Edition -- A Note on Editorial Matters -- Summary of Recent Events, 2011–2012 -- History and Perspectives -- The Peoples and Cultures of the Middle East -- The Roots of Arab Bitterness -- Islamist Perceptions of US Policy in the Middle East -- Global Energy and the Middle East -- New US Policies for a New Middle East? -- Cairo Speech -- Israel and the Palestinians -- Israel and the Arabs, and Beyond -- The United States and Israel -- The Palestinians -- Sharon’s Fence -- Whither the Palestinians? -- Ethnicity and Nation-Building in the State of Israel -- Syria's Threat to Israel -- The Iranian Nuclear Threat Against Israel -- Iraq and Iran -- Pashtunistan: Afghanistan, Pakistan—and Iraq -- The Land and People of Modern Iraq -- Impacts of the Iraq War -- America’s Troubled Moment in the Middle East -- Maliki Consolidates Power in Post-Saddam Iraq -- The Iranian Revolution and Its Consequences -- Islamic Republic of Iran: Political Dynamics and Foreign Policy -- Iran’s Regional Foreign Policy -- Iran, Israel, and the United States -- The Iranian Predicament -- The Islamists -- Islamists and Democracy: The Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood -- Talking to Terrorists: Hamas and Hezbollah -- The Arab Spring -- The Arab Spring, 2011 -- Egypt: Mubarak and After -- Bashar al-Asad, Syria, and the Arab Spring -- The Arab World at the Intersection of the National and Transnational -- Looking Forward -- The Contemporary Middle East: Some Questions, Some Answers -- Select Bibliography -- Notable Persons