Resisting the Empire

By Hamid Dabashi

This book is a radical piece of counter-intuitive rethinking of the clash of civilizations theory and global politics.

In this richly detailed criticism of contemporary politics, Hamid Dabashi argues that after 9/11 we have not seen a new phase in a long running confrontation between Islam and the West, but that such categories have in fact collapsed and exhausted themselves. The West is no longer a unified actor and Islam is ideologically depleted in its confrontation with colonialism. Rather we are seeing the emergence of the US as a lone superpower, and a confrontation between a form of imperial globalized capital and the rising need for a new Islamic theodicy.

The combination of political salience and theoretical force makes Islamic Liberation Theology a cornerstone of a whole new generation of thinking about political Islamism and a compelling read for anyone interested in contemporary Islam, current affairs and US foreign policy. Dabashi drives his well-supported and thoroughly documented points steadily forward in an earnest and highly readable style.

ISBN: 9780415771542

Published May 12 2008 by Routledge.

The Roots of Anti-Americanism

By Kylie Baxter, Shahram Akbarzadeh

Over the last sixty years, Washington has been a major player in the politics of the Middle East. From Iran in the 1950s, to the Gulf War of 1991, to the devastation of contemporary Iraq, US policy has had a profound impact on the domestic affairs of the region. Anti-Americanism is a pervasive feature of modern Middle East public opinion. But far from being intrinsic to ‘Muslim political culture’, scepticism of the US agenda is directly linked to the regional policies pursued by Washington.

By exploring critical points of regional crisis, Kylie Baxter and Shahram Akbarzadeh elaborate on the links between US policy and popular distrust of the United States. The book also examines the interconnected nature of events in this geo-strategically vital region. Accessible and easy to follow, it is designed to provide a clear and concise overview of complex historical and political material. Key features include:

• maps illustrating key events and areas of discontent
• text boxes on topics of interest related to the Arab/Israeli Wars, Iranian politics, foreign interventions in Afghanistan and Iraq, the wars of the Persian Gulf, September 11 and the rise of Islamist movements
• further reading lists and a selection of suggested study questions at the end of each chapter.

ISBN: 9780415410489

Published April 25 2008 by Routledge.

Terrorism, Civil Rights, and the European Union

Edited by Yonah Alexander, Edgar H. Brenner, Serhat Tutuncuoglu Krause

How do democratic societies maintain the balance between civil rights and security while continuing the fight on global terrorism? This work raises this issue and presents one country, Turkey, and its struggle to implement laws to combat terrorism and comply with the European Union’s civil rights standards.

A collection of materials that reflects the legal responses in combating terrorism is an essential volume in any academic and professional collection as it provides a case-specific reference point in the fields of EU politics, law, and international relations. Turkey contains translations, contextual notes, and explanations from the editors of over 112 Turkish and EU documents ranging from martial law, PKK terror, Turkey-EU relations, human rights, and Turkish reforms. This resource book enables the reader to gauge Turkey’s prospects for success in establishing an effective government that at the same time protects the rights of the individual.

This book will prove a valuable source for students and researchers of international politics, international relations and security studies.

ISBN: 9780415441636

Published April 25 2008 by Routledge.

1997–2007

Edited by Lloyd Ridgeon

Previously published as a special issue of British Journal of Middle East Studies, this volume focuses on leading figures within Iran between 1997-2007 and their visions and works that are related to Iranian society.

A cross section of opinion is investigated, including the clerical (‘Ali Khameneh’i, Muhammad Khatami and Mohsen Kadivar), the dissident (Mohsen Makhmalbaf), and the poetic (Qaysar Aminpour) and cinematic. The past decade has been a traumatic one in Iran, and the essays in this volume testify to the vibrancy of the responses from Iranian thinkers. It may be a surprise to some observers that in some senses, ‘Ali Khameneh’i may be considered a ‘liberal’ whereas Muhammad Khatami’s own credentials as an advocate of rapprochement with the West needs to be qualified. Responses to Western culture continue to remain centre-stage, and this is also nowhere more apparent than in the complex relationship between the directors of Iranian films (perhaps Iran’s most celebrated export these days) and their audiences, both Iranian and Western. Despite some viewing Iran as a pariah state, it remains firmly connected to the West and to modern technology, typified in the practice of blogging that is enjoyed by so many Iranians, which has provided a new space for expression and thinking.

ISBN: 9780415443289

Published April 24 2008 by Routledge.

A Paradigm for the Post-Colonial State

By Michael Rear

External intervention by the U.N. and other actors in ethnic conflicts has interfered with the state-building process in post-colonial states. Rear examines the 1991 uprisings in Iraq and demonstrates how this intervention has contributed to the problems with democratization experienced in the post-Saddam era. This timely work will appeal to scholars of International Relations and Middle East studies, as well as those seeking greater insight into the current conflict in Iraq.

ISBN: 9780415964661

Published April 23 2008 by Routledge.

Armed Groups, Disarmament and Security in a Post-War Society

By Michael Vinay Bhatia, Mark Sedra

This is the first book to provide a comprehensive assessment of small arms and security-related issues in post-9/11 Afghanistan. It includes case studies which reveal the findings of in-depth field research on hitherto neglected regions of the country, and provides a distinctive balance of thematic analysis, conceptual models and empirical research.

Exploring various facets of armed violence and measures to tackle it, the volume provides significant insight into broader issues such as the efficacy of international assistance, the ‘shadow’ economy, warlordism, and the Taliban-led insurgency. In an effort to deconstruct and demystify Afghanistan’s alleged ‘gun culture’, it also explores some of the prevailing obstacles and opportunities facing the country in its transition period. In so doing, the book offers valuable lessons to the state-builders of Afghanistan as well as those of other countries and regions struggling to emerge from periods of transition.

This book will be of much interest to all students of Afghanistan, small arms, insurgency, Asian Studies, and conflict studies in general.

ISBN: 9780415453080

Published April 15 2008 by Routledge.

Edited by Shmeul Sandler, Manfred Gerstenfeld, Jonathan Rynhold

The 2006 elections constitute a major redrawing of the political map in Israel due to Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s exit from the Likud party and his creation of a new centre party, Kadima. Following Israel’s unilateral withdrawal from Gaza, Sharon formed Kadima taking many former Likud MKs, and prominent members of the Labour party with him.

Focusing particularly on the various political parties, the election campaign in the media and the main issues at stake in the election including: foreign and defence policies, social and economic issues, as well as, the issue of corruption, this book examines the impact of this reorganization of the political map. The impact of events in the Palestinian Authority and other external factors are also discussed, as well as the challenges for the new government, in the wake of the election results.

This book was previously published as a special issue of Israel Affairs.

ISBN: 9780415413619

Published April 07 2008 by Routledge.

An Analytical History

By Ibrahim Al-Marashi, Sammy Salama

This book provides the first comprehensive study of the evolution of the Iraqi military from the British mandate era to post-Baathist Iraq.

Ethnic and sectarian turmoil is endemic to Iraq, and its armed forces have been intertwined with its political affairs since their creation. This study illustrates how the relationship between the military and the political centre in Iraq has evolved, with the military bringing about three regime changes in Iraq’s history before being brought under control by Saddam Hussein, up until the 2003 war. The instability that followed was partly due to the failure to create a new military that does not threaten the government, yet is still strong enough to deter rival factions from armed conflict. The reconstitution of the armed forces will be a prerequisite for an American withdrawal from Iraq, but this book argues that immense challenges lie ahead, despite the praise from the Bush administration for the progress of the new Iraqi army.

ISBN: 9780415400787

Published April 07 2008 by Routledge.

Religious Studies Perspectives

Edited by Bryan Rennie, Philip L. Tite

September 11 and the subsequent War on Terror continues to cast a long shadow over the world. Religion, Terror and Violence brings together a group of distinguished scholars from a range of backgrounds and disciplines to explore the claim that acts of violence – most spectacularly the attack of September 11, 2001 and the international reaction to it – were intimately linked to cultural and social authorizing processes that could be called 'religious.'

This book provides a nuanced but incisive insight into the reaction of the discipline of religious studies to the post 9/11 world.

ISBN: 9780415442305

Published April 02 2008 by Routledge.

Edited by Ali Carkoglu, William Hale

The Politics of Modern Turkey is a new four-volume Major Work from Routledge. The first volume of the collection (‘Historical Heritage of Politics in Modern Turkey’) brings together key research to provide a historical contextualization of modern Turkish political experience. This volume traces the sizeable literature that uses historical sociology as its basis to underline the continuities and breakdowns in key political areas of the transition from the Ottoman Empire to the modern Republican era, especially with reference to cultural, institutional, and elite politics perspectives covering the Ottoman and the single-party period (1923–50). The Tanzimat reforms as they relate to the Republican regime’s ground-breaking changes of the early 1930s are emphasized, as is the process of transition to a multi-party democracy after the Second World War. The volume also gathers a number of essays on the nature of ideological currents influential in contemporary Turkish politics, taking in Kemalist, Islamist conservative, and nationalist orientations, as well as Turkish versions of liberalism.

The second volume of the collection (‘Political Institutions and Processes’) presents the best research which depicts and evaluates constitutional changes, ending with recent amendments aimed at fulfilling the Copenhagen political criteria for EU membership. Volume II also includes vital material highlighting the character and functioning of the executive branch, the bureaucracy, and parliament. Seminal essays describing and analysing the 1960 and 1980 coups and the 1971 coup-by-memorandum, as well as the so-called ‘postmodern’ coup of 1997. Other topics covered include: the nature of public policymaking and the operation of patronage networks; the party system and electoral laws; social mobilization and trends in political participation; interest and pressure-group activity; and the political role of the military.

The material gathered in Volume III (‘Modern Turkey’s Foreign Policy’) addresses the historical development of foreign policymaking institutions, and the policymaking system. A historical section explores foreign policy under Kemal Atatürk and Ismet Inönü, through to the Cold War and post-Cold War periods. Regionally, the following areas are covered: Turkey’s broad geo-strategic situation; Turkish–American relations; Turkey and the European Union; Turkey’s relations with the Middle Eastern countries; Greek–Turkish relations and the Cyprus problem; and Turkey’s relations with the Soviet Union, the post-Soviet republics in Transcaucasia and central Asia, and Russia.

The final volume of the collection (‘Major Issues and Themes in Contemporary Turkish Politics’) is focused on a number of issues that have gained increasing salience over the last two decades. Topics include: democratization, and the politics of the EU membership process; identity issues, especially religiosity and the rising salience of pro-Islamist movements; ethnicity and the politics of the Kurdish minority; women in Turkish politics; political–economic interactions; and political performance and governance.

With an introduction newly written by the editor, which places the collected material in its historical and intellectual context, The Politics of Modern Turkey is an essential collection destined to be valued by scholars and students as a vital one-stop research and pedagogic resource.

ISBN: 9780415411066

Published April 01 2008 by Routledge.