The politics of the Middle East / Monte Palmer.

Includes bibliographical references (pages 341-372) and index.

Continuity and change in the Middle East -- Egypt,, the tortuous road to democracy -- Israel and Palestine, one land, two claimants -- Syria, the politics of minority rule -- Saudi Arabia, modernizing a tribal monarchy -- Iraq, chaos and democracy in the land of milk and honey -- Iran, Islamic governance in action -- Turkey, Middle Eastern or European?

[This book] strikes a ... balance between an historical approach and the analysis of country case studies. This blended approach gives students a fuller picture of the region, including the influences of tribalism, kinship, and the Islamic faith as well as an understanding of the region's political uprisings, religious significance, and petroleum resources that make it crucially important to the rest of the world. In the introduction, key aspects of Middle Eastern politics are explored on a regional level.... The [book also covers the] influence of America's war on terror in the Middle East. -http://www.wadsworth.com.