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This book addresses the multiple dimensions of the limited reach, or breakdown, of central authority in border regions of Arab states, and their implications for state sovereignty and modes of governance. These include the emergence of illicit networks of exchange, the rise of new nonstate actors in border regions, including paramilitary or jihadi groups, and the transformation of border areas into areas of regional conflict. Collectively, the essays in this volume address such processes, which have been observable in conflict-stricken countries such as Syria, Iraq, and Yemen, and in fragile political or economic contexts, like the ones in Lebanon, Tunisia, and Algeria, as well as in relatively stable Emirates such as Kuwait. The contributions also shed light on how border peripheries in the Arab world have impacted the center of political and economic power in their states.
Much has been published on sectarianism in the Middle East but few writers have separated received wisdom from the facts, as Haddad does in this book.
The authoritative account of Islam's schism that for centuries has shaped events in the Middle East and the Islamic world. In 632, soon after the Prophet Muhammad died, a struggle broke out among his followers as to who would succeed him. Most Muslims argued that the leader of Islam should be elected by the community's elite and rule as Caliph. They would later become the Sunnis. Otherswho would become known as the Shiabelieved that Muhammad had designated his cousin and son-in-law Ali as his successor, and that henceforth Ali's offspring should lead as Imams. This dispute over who should guide Muslims, the Caliph or the Imam, marks the origin of the Sunni-Shii split in Islam. Toby Matthiese...
After the collapse of Saddam’s regime in 2003, the most important issue in Iraq was the power-sharing arrangements among communities. At this point, the Iraqi people were presented with the chance to look for another political system which would retain all communities’ participation: consociational democracy, an ideal theme in that kind of system everybody has a voice and contributes to the political process. Therefore, the US-led coalition forces were invested in working to form political order according to power-sharing arrangements and recognized that they needed to do this by gathering Iraqi’s politicians to reach an agreement about power-sharing arrangements.This book concentrates on connections or divergences between formal or informal examples of consociationalism, and the actual practice of these between 2003 and 2014 in Iraq. The author argues that consociational elements are partially reflected in the permanent constitution, and partially implemented throughout the period under investigation, bearing in mind the positive role of the US-led coalition.
This revised and updated second edition introduces students of violent conflict to a variety of prominent theoretical approaches, and examines the ontological stances and epistemological traditions underlying these approaches. Theories of Violent Conflict takes the centrality of the ‘group’ as an actor in contemporary conflict as a point of departure, leaving us with three main questions: • What makes a group? • Why and how does a group resort to violence? • Why and how do or don’t they stop? The book examines and compares the ways by which these questions are addressed from a number of perspectives: primordialism/constructivism, social identity theory, critical political economy...
Iraq is a nation in crisis bordering on civil war. The country now faces growing violence, a steady rise in Sunni Islamist extremism, an increasingly authoritarian leader that favors Iraq’s Sunnis, and growing ethnic tension between Arabs and Kurds. The recent Iraqi election offers little promise that it can correct the corruption, the weaknesses in its security forces, and the critical failures in governance, economic development, and leadership. The problems Iraq faces in 2014 are a legacy of mistakes made during and after the U.S.-led invasion in 2003, but increasingly the nation is dealing with the self-inflicted wounds of its leaders who abuse human rights, repress opposing factions, and misuse the Iraqi police and security forces to their own end.
This book provides detailed coverage of all the key conflict-related developments since the Arab Spring, a seminal event that began in December 2010 and continues to have major influence on events in the Middle East, North Africa, and beyond. This important reference offers readers a thorough understanding of the nature of the various conflicts that have erupted in the Middle East and North Africa following the Arab Spring. Clear and concise explanations of important concepts related to Islam, ideology, and ethnicity and the economic, social, and cultural forces propelling conflict and revolution in the region will enable readers to gain insight into key developments there. Biographical and ...
Innovation is key to military success, as Ahmed S. Hashim explains in his study of how Islamic State functions as a fighting, social media, and administrative entity.
Post-conflict scenarios are often proposed for Arab countries that have witnessed significant changes and civil wars. Yet the plans for reconciliation, transitional justice, and the return of the displaced often overlook the real conditions that make these recommendations impossible. This book provides a critical analysis of current post-conflict frameworks for Syria and Iraq. Drawing on empirical research, the book shows that reconciliation and reconstruction scenarios need to be considered alongside the realities on the ground. It argues that Iraq and Syria exist in a condition of 'conflict transformation' rather than of 'conflict termination', because the extreme changes that accompanied ...
"A deeply researched work of narrative nonfiction that marries the recent political history of Kurdish Iraq with the extraordinary rags-to-riches story of a childhood refugee. Peshawa's journey takes readers inside his people's struggles to rebuild community and bring democracy to Iraqi Kurdistan after genocide and war"--