The Government and Politics of the Middle East and North Africa

by David E. Long (Editor), Bernard Reich, Editors *

The Government and Politics of the Middle East and North Africa continues to provide comprehensive, up-to-date coverage of the region’s critical contemporary events and issues. Invited specialists contribute authoritative overviews of the government and politics of each country in the Middle East and North Africa. As in previous editions, country chapters are systematically organized to address historical background, social and economic conditions, politics, and foreign policy, and each chapter features an updated data table for easy compare and contrast.

The sixth edition has been revised throughout to reflect recent substantial changes in the Middle East and includes seventeen new maps and a new introductory chapter on the region. In addition, the authors provide vital new considerations of major developments, including Iran’s nuclear policies; political dynamics in postwar Iraq; Israel’s post-Sharon politics; the fragmentation of Palestinian representation between Hamas inGaza and Fatah in the West Bank; as well as recent developments in Syria, Turkey, and Lebanon

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Politics, Middle East

496 pages, Hardcover

First published December 28, 1980

Reviews

[Kaitlyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great book, it gives you the detailed history of each country in the Middle East and North Africa. You really get an understanding of each country and its culture. Each chapter focuses on one country and all of them are easy to read for an intro to the Middle East. The 6th edition (what I read) was published a year before The Arab Spring, so it still features some of the regimes that were just toppled.

[Jared Krauss · Rating 4 out of 5]

a good source of information, easy updates on a country's history, structure, and makeup
Some sections are poorly written though, such as Crystal's covering the Gulf States. It attempts to be balanced by giving a biased account of Israel and a biased account of Palestine, which is admirable, but I disagree with. I think t would be better for the reader (students) to be reading even handed academics' accounts of the two states.

[Ryan · Rating 3 out of 5]

It may prove to be too broad for what I am researching.