"Middle East"

European Powers and the Creation of the Middle Eastern State System

European Powers and the Creation of the Middle Eastern State System
Ana Huertas Francisco

The role of the European powers was crucial in the making of the Middle East system not only because they were responsible for the incongruence of land partition after the Ottoman Empire and its consequent conflicts, but also because they established very important starting points for many trans-national phenomena by aiming to incorporate the area to the global capitalist system.

Separate but (un)equal: Gender segregated bus lines of Jerusalem

Separate but (un)equal: Gender segregated bus lines of Jerusalem
Julie Duggan

There is a tendency to equate the metaphor of travel and mobility with emancipation and the ability to move freely between cultures or continents. This work examines the implications of gender segregation in Ultra Orthodox communities of Jerusalem, by looking more closely at women’s experiences of the journeys made (both actual and allegorical) between the public and private spheres.

Why Did the Soviet Union Invade Afghanistan?

Why Did the Soviet Union Invade Afghanistan?
Daryl Morini

The Soviet intervention in Afghanistan was a costly and, ultimately, pointless war. However, exactly why the Red Army wound up in direct military conflict, embroiled in a bitter and complicated civil war—some 3,000 kilometres away from Moscow—is a point of historiographical uncertainty. Little known and appreciated for its significance, the Soviet-Afghan War was one of the turning points of the late Cold War.

‘Conflict Management Sows the Seeds of Future Conflict’ A Case Study of the Kashmir Conflict

‘Conflict Management Sows the Seeds of Future Conflict’ A Case Study of the Kashmir Conflict
Amritben Bagia

India and Pakistan have come no closer to resolving their disagreements than what was attempted in 1949 because they are firmly grounded in a solution that is zero-sum, state centric and plagued by internal domestic political pressure.

Sustainability and water resources in the Middle East

Sustainability and water resources in the Middle East
Caroline Smith

The Middle East is one of the most water-short regions in the world: almost all countries in the region (with the arguable exceptions of Iran and Turkey) have less (in most cases, significantly less) water available – through rainfall and other sources – than the 1,000 cubic metres per person, per year, which is traditionally taken to be a minimum human requirement.

The Status of Middle-Eastern Palestinian Refugees outside of Israel-Palestine

The Status of Middle-Eastern Palestinian Refugees outside of Israel-Palestine
Paul Knight

The issue of Palestinian refugees is both an important and highly emotional matter in Middle-Eastern politics, representing one of the most divisive and enduring problems of 20th and 21st century Middle-Eastern affairs.

Territory, Knowledge and Power: understanding Israeli sovereignty

Territory, Knowledge and Power: understanding Israeli sovereignty
Lewis M Howard

Eyal Weizman’s comprehensive account of the techniques of expansion and oppression deployed by the Israeli forces in the Occupied Territories provides a thorough and graphic exposé of a whole range of colonizing methods. In this essay I attempt to highlight a selection of Weizman’s observations and relate them to the arguments of Yiftachel and an updated understanding of Foucauldian population geography by Legg.

Islam, Militancy, and Democracy in the Middle East

Islam, Militancy, and Democracy in the Middle East
Omar Alihashi, Anna Gruending, and Paul Knight

In order to guide democracy development efforts in the Middle East, Western policymakers must be guided by a realistic and nuanced view of the region. Militancy and terrorism, especially, have traditionally been viewed in terms of simple dichotomies and broad generalizations. This paper attempts to address this issue by offering a framework for the evaluation of Islamist political parties and their participation in democratic systems.

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