Dynamics of Arab foreign policy-making in the twenty-first century : domestic constraints and external challenges / Hassan Hamdan al-Alkim.

Includes bibliographical references (pages 379-386) and index.

The Input Process -- Political Aggregations and Political Articulations -- The Socio-Economic Variables -- The Changing World Order -- The Regional Variable: Unstable Region -- The Arab-Israeli Conflict -- Part Two: The Output: Case Studies --. Arab States' Policies towards the Middle East Peace Process -- Desertification and Water Crisis in the Arab World -- Food Insecurity in the Arab World -- Determinants of Saudi Arabia's Foreign Policy-Making.

The Arab world's strategic location and its considerable material and human potential should allow it to play a major role in world affairs. However, plagued by authoritarian regimes, ethnic and social cleavages, economic underdevelopment and military weakness, these states depend on the outside for security. In this balanced and discerning study, Hassan Hamdan al-Alkim examines the dynamics of Arab foreign-policy-making in the twenty-first century. He considers the significance of a changing world order, an unstable Arab regional order, and the Arab-Israeli conflict for Arab foreign policy-making processes. The book's four case studies - the Middle East Peace process, the Water crisis, the Food crisis, and Saudi Arabia's foreign policy - enable a wide-ranging analysis for understanding contemporary Arab politics and its role in world affairs. Endorsements: 'Even a reader who does not agree with all of Hassan Al-Alkim's conclusions will recognize this book as an authentic critique by a committed Arab intellectual not only of the weakness of Arab states in the regional and international realms but also of the authoritarian regimes that dominate most of the Arab world.' Gregory Gause III, Department of Political Science, University of Vermont 'Hassan al-Alkim has written a wide ranging and thought provoking account of the challenging issues facing foreign policy makers in the Arab world.' Peter Woodward, Professor Emeritus, University of Reading