The 2011 Arab uprisings precipitated the relatively quick collapse of a number of Middle Eastern states once perceived as invincible. The Tunisian and Egyptian states succumbed to revolutionary upheavals early on, followed by that of Qadhafi's Libya. Yemen's President Saleh was also eventually forced to give up power. A bloody civil war continues to rage in Syria. These uprisings highlighted weaknesses in the capacity and legitimacy of states across the Arab Middle East. This book provides a comprehensive study of state weakness-or of 'weak states'-across the Greater Middle East.
No other book examines the subject of weak states in the Middle East. Fragile Politics begins with laying the theoretical framework for the study of weak states, examining the theoretical controversies surrounding the topic, the causes and characteristics of weak states, and their consequences for the Middle East. It then looks at a series of case studies, examining various themes within the study of weak states in relation to each case study.
Introduction Weak States in the Middle East Mehran Kamrava
Chapter 1 Yemen: Failing State or Failing Politics? Charles Schmitz
Chapter 2 Questioning Failure, Stability, and Risk in Yemen Sarah Phillips
Chapter 3 Interventionism and the Fear of Urban Agency in Afghanistan and Iraq Daniel Esser
Chapter 4 Libya After Qadhafi: Fragmentation, Hybridity, and Informality Frederic Wehrey
Chapter 5 Strong Actor in a Weak State: The Geopolitics of Hizbullah Shoghig Mikaelian and Bassel F. Salloukh
Chapter 6 Margin and Center in Sudan: On the Historicity of State Weakness Rogaia Abusharaf
Chatper 7 Sudan: A Turbulent Political Marketplace Alex de Waal
Chapter 8 Women, Work, and the Weak State: A Case Study of Pakistan and Sudan Zahra Babar and Dwaa Osman
Chapter 9 Whither Palestine? Weak State, Failed State, or No State at All?
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