Redefining security in the Middle East

Redefining security in the Middle East
Author: Tami Jacoby
Publisher: Manchester University Press
Total Pages: 189
Release: 2018-07-30
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 1526137623

This electronic version has been made available under a Creative Commons (BY-NC-ND) open access license. For over five decades, the Cold War security agenda was distinguished by the principal strategic balance, that of a structure of bipolarity, between the United States (US) and the Soviet Union (USSR). This book seeks to draw from current developments in critical security studies in order to establish a new framework of inquiry for security in the Middle East. It addresses the need to redefine security in the Middle East. The focus is squarely on the Arab-Israeli context in general, and the Palestinian-Israeli context in particular. The character of Arab-Israeli relations are measured by the Israeli foreign policy debate from the 1950s to the 1990s. A dialogue between Islam and Islamism as a means to broaden the terrain on which conflict resolution and post-bipolar security in the Middle East is to be understood is presented. The Middle East peace process (MEPP) was an additional factor in problematizing the military-strategic concept of security in the Middle East. The shift in analysis from national security to human security reflects the transformations of the post-Cold War era by combining military with non-military concerns such as environmental damage, social unrest, economic mismanagement, cultural conflict, gender inequity and radical fundamentalism. By way of contrast to realist international relations (IR) theory, developing-world theorists have proposed a different set of variables to explain the unique challenges facing developing states. Finally, the book examines the significance of ecopolitics in security agendas in the Middle East.

Redefining Security

Redefining Security
Author: David T. Graham
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing USA
Total Pages: 262
Release: 1998-10-30
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 0313389292

International migration has become a major domestic political issue in many countries and a major topic of international debate. Thus far, most of the attention has centered on the plight of refugees or on ways to curb the flow of illegal immigrants. As more and more migrants cross interstate boundaries, however, governments are realizing that immigration and asylum problems cannot be separated from broader socio-economic and political issues; nor can they be resolved by countries acting unilaterally. Even with this understanding, attempts to develop multilateral strategies to ease international tensions arising from uncontrolled migration will be complicated by economic disparities, regional political tensions, and mounting population and ecological pressures. Internal migration, particularly in terms of forced resettlement and urbanization, also gives rise to a myriad of problems relating to aspects of security. The increase in other major population movements, such as tourism and business travel, also has implications for security. Until recently, the question what is security? was rarely asked in the context of these developments. This was because there was a perceived consensus on what the nature of security was. The nature of security was held to mean national, political, and military security. Thus security was virtually synonymous with defense. The theoretical claim of this volume is that these developments are necessitating a redefinition of security. This volume provides major theoretical analyses of these trends as well as in-depth case studies that explore specific developments of major concern to scholars and other researchers involved with international relations, migration, and development issues.

Regional Security in the Middle East

Regional Security in the Middle East
Author: Pinar Bilgin
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 391
Release: 2004-09-09
Genre: History
ISBN: 1134342403

This is an accessible yet critical analysis of regional security in the Middle East. Using a non-realist approach, Bilgin provides a comprehensive study of the past, present and future of security in the region. She also considers the question of identity formation, explaining how and why various regional representations came into being, and explor

Domestic Constraints on South Korean Foreign Policy

Domestic Constraints on South Korean Foreign Policy
Author: Scott A. Snyder
Publisher: Council on Foreign Relations
Total Pages: 106
Release: 2018-01-01
Genre: International relations
ISBN: 0876097336

These essays support the argument that strong and effective presidential leadership is the most important prerequisite for South Korea to sustain and project its influence abroad. That leadership should be attentive to the need for public consensus and should operate within established legislative mechanisms that ensure public accountability. The underlying structures sustaining South Korea’s foreign policy formation are generally sound; the bigger challenge is to manage domestic politics in ways that promote public confidence about the direction and accountability of presidential leadership in foreign policy.

The Origins of the Syrian Conflict

The Origins of the Syrian Conflict
Author: Marwa Daoudy
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 265
Release: 2020-03-26
Genre: History
ISBN: 1108476082

Presents a new conceptual framework drawing on human security to evaluate the claim that climate change caused the conflict in Syria.

Reimagining U.S. Strategy in the Middle East

Reimagining U.S. Strategy in the Middle East
Author: Dalia Dassa Kaye
Publisher:
Total Pages: 190
Release: 2021-04-15
Genre: History
ISBN: 9781977406620

"U.S. policy toward the Middle East has relied heavily on military instruments of power and has focused on regional threats--particularly the Iranian threat--with the goal of keeping partners on "our side." These long-standing policies have largely fallen short of meeting core U.S. interests and adapting to new regional realities and strategic imperatives. RAND researchers offer an alternative framework, suggesting that the U.S. strategic priority must center on reducing regional conflict and the drivers of conflict. This revised strategic approach puts a greater focus on addressing conflict and socioeconomic challenges that are creating unsustainable pressures on the region's states and immense suffering among its people. Researchers analyze how the tools of U.S. policy--political, security, economic, diplomatic, and informational instruments--would need to adjust to more effectively address such challenges in ways that are mindful of limited resources at home. Researchers also examine how the United States deals with both partners and adversaries in and outside the region and consider how to better leverage policies to the benefit of U.S. interests and the region. The researchers recommend specific actions organized into the following three pillars: (1) shifting resources from the current heavy reliance on military tools to a more balanced approach that prioritizes economic investments, governance, diplomacy, and programs focused on people; (2) favoring a long-term time horizon to reduce regional conflict and support growth and development, even at the cost of short-term risks; and (3) working multilaterally with global and regional partners to address key challenges." -- from the publisher.

World Society and the Middle East

World Society and the Middle East
Author: S. Stetter
Publisher: Springer
Total Pages: 246
Release: 2008-07-11
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 0230227511

Offers a novel cross-disciplinary theoretical perspective on conflict and conflict transformation in world society, and integrates the study of conflicts in the Middle East region into a modern systems theoretical framework.

Life as Politics

Life as Politics
Author: Asef Bayat
Publisher: Stanford University Press
Total Pages: 391
Release: 2013-05-01
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 080478633X

Prior to 2011, popular imagination perceived the Muslim Middle East as unchanging and unchangeable, frozen in its own traditions and history. In Life as Politics, Asef Bayat argues that such presumptions fail to recognize the routine, yet important, ways in which ordinary people make meaningful change through everyday actions. First published just months before the Arab Spring swept across the region, this timely and prophetic book sheds light on the ongoing acts of protest, practice, and direct daily action. The second edition includes three new chapters on the Arab Spring and Iran's Green Movement and is fully updated to reflect recent events. At heart, the book remains a study of agency in times of constraint. In addition to ongoing protests, millions of people across the Middle East are effecting transformation through the discovery and creation of new social spaces within which to make their claims heard. This eye-opening book makes an important contribution to global debates over the meaning of social movements and the dynamics of social change.