The Middle East’s geographical and strategic uniqueness has made every great power in history to seek to advance its interests in the region. Yet, the region constitutes the greatest single reserve of oil in the world, which has made it a regular source of foreign interference in the post-World War II era. In addition to its geographical and strategic uniqueness, the Middle East is the birthplace and spiritual center of the world’s three most important monotheistic religions. Due to its geopolitical importance, any inter- and intra-state conflict in the Middle East has the potential not only for destabilizing the region as a whole or upsetting the regional balance of power but also affecting global stability. After employing the Regional Security Complex Theory (RSCT) in order to define and delimit the region of the Middle East, the chapters of this book address the question of regional order, examine how regionalism and globalism feature in Middle Eastern integration processes, explore regional bids for hegemony, and investigate the approaches and policies of major international actors.
Table of Contents
1. GLOBALISM, REGIONALISM AND THE MIDDLE EAST – Ayşegül Sever
2. THE CHALLENGES TO MIDDLE EASTERN INTERNATIONAL SOCIETY:
A STUDY IN DISORDER – Onur Erpul
3. UNITED STATES FOREIGN POLICY IN THE MIDDLE EAST AFTER THE COLD WAR – Jonathan Cristol
4. RUSSIAN FOREIGN POLICY IN THE MIDDLE EAST UNDER PUTIN:
CAN BEARS WALK IN THE DESERT? – Spyridon N. Litsas
5. CHINA IN THE POST-HEGEMONIC MIDDLE EAST: A WARY DRAGON? – Xi Chen
6. THE EU AND THE MIDDLE EAST: FROM THE EURO-MEDITERRANEAN PARTNERSHIP TO THE UNION FOR THE MEDITERRANEAN – Stefanie Georgakis Abbott
7. THE EU AND THE MIDDLE EAST: THE EUROPEAN NEIGHBORHOOD POLICY (ENP) – Yannis A. Stivachtis
8. THE UNITED NATIONS AND MIDDLE EASTERN SECURITY – Allison Miller
9. HEGEMONIC ASPIRATIONS AND MIDDLE EAST DISCORD: THE CASE OF IRAN – Ali G. Dizboni & Sofwat Omar
The 170 page free eBook, Conflict and Diplomacy in the Middle East: External Actors and Regional Rivalries, 11 November 2018, can be downloaded.