APS Book

ABOUT THIS BOOK

“This is indeed a historic period,” writes John Esposito of the immediate post-Arab Spring era in the chapter he contributed to this book. Collectively, the articles in Religion, Democracy, and Politics in the Middle East speak to this period by explaining many of the most important issues in the region today in a way that is historically and theoretically informed. 

Divided into three sections, this book offers scholarly analysis not only of current developments, but also of critical historical episodes and their ramification on the region. It also discusses the future of the Middle East, including its relations with the United States and the role of political Islam.

Taken together, these chapters advance our understanding of this important region at a time of great change. They form a rich trove that will leave the reader better aware of the nuance and complexity behind the newspaper headlines.
 

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Publisher's Foreword
Demetrios James Caraley

Overview: A New Middle East?
Daniel Byman

PART I: HISTORICAL LESSONS

Dysfunction Doctrines? Eisenhower, Carter, and U.S.Military Intervention in the Middle East
Jeffrey H. Michaels

Camp David Rashomon: Contested Interpretations of the Israel/Palestine Peace Process
Myron J. Aronoff

PART II: CURRENT ISSUES

Regime Change in the Middle East: Problems and Prospects
Daniel Byman

Ideological Change and Israel’s Disengagement from Gaza
Jonathan Rynhold and Dov Waxman

The Rationality of Radical Islam
Quintan Wiktorowicz and Karl Kaltenthaler

The Demise of the PLO: Neither Diaspora nor Statehood
Hillel Frisch

PART III: LOOKING FORWARD

The Future of Islam and U.S.-Muslim Relations
John L. Esposito

The Paradox of Islam’s Future
Raymond W. Baker