Introduction: The Middle East and International Relations

This volume offers an account of the international relations of the modern Middle East. It examines the international politics of the region by providing further scholarly engagement between the two major disciplines of international relations (IR) and Middle East Studies. The text focuses on important contemporary themes in Middle East international relations such as political economy, democratization and political reform, the management of regional relations, and patterns of war and security. It looks at key regional case studies incorporating historical, contemporary, and theoretical perspectives. Topics include the foreign policy practices of different states, the Arab–Israeli conflict, and the Arab Spring and its consequences. This introduction considers some of the particular problems that arise in studying the international relations of the Middle East and how they are addressed in this volume. It also provides an overview of the chapters that follow.