The Arab World and Iran: A Turbulent Region in Transition

Australia's Foreign Minister, Julie Bishop, has written the foreword to the latest book edited by the Professor Amin Saikal, Director of the ANU Centre for Arab and Islamic Studies, and highlighted the vital role the Centre plays in Australian foreign policy.

The Arab World and Iran: A Turbulent Region in Transition (Palgrave, 2016) is the result of a conference held at the ANU in 2014 which featured renowned international scholars to discuss major issues influencing the region including the Arab Spring and Tunisian democracy.

Ms Bishop MP wrote: 'This collection of papers will be a valuable resource for academics and policymakers.' She also acknowledged the conference marked the Centre's 20th anniversary, which, she wrote, 'has played a leading role in academic and public policy debate about Australia's engagement with the Middle East and Central Asia".

She later added: "The Center has been at the forefront of research, teaching, and policy on Arab and Islamic issues in Australia and internationally, under Professor Saikal's leadership.

"One of the Centre's valuable functions has been the cross-fertilisation of ideas between government and academia, which has informed Australia's foreign policy and our international relations. Through the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, the government looks forward to continuing its collegial relationship with the Centre for many years to come."

The new book focuses on interpreting the changing domestic and regional dynamics in the Arab world and Iran. Its chapters discuss an array of countries, events, actors, and issues, including an exploration of the role of Saudi-Iranian geostrategic rivalry, to the impact of ethnic and sectarian politics in Syria, Iraq, and across the region.

Chapters from expert contributors are organized into three parts. The first section of the volume covers the aspects and dynamics of change in the Arab world.

The second examines the role of Islam, Islamism, Islamic governance, and sectarian and ethnic politics in the region.

The third section focuses on Iranian domestic and regional politics. Yet the theme of transition is constant throughout as this multidisciplinary book draws connections across countries and events to not only inform about the prevailing regional situation, but also to invite readers to draw their own conclusions as to the future of the Middle East.

Collectively, the volume provides a fresh interpretation of the changing dynamics of the Arab world and Iran, unpacking the complexities of the disputes, conflicts, rivalries, failed goals, and processes of change and development that have made the Muslim Middle East so turbulent, directionless, and perpetually contested by both regional and international actors.

Contents:

The Middle East and North Africa: An Arena of Change and Transition? Amin Saikal

Prospects for Democratization in the Middle East Post-Arab Spring, Fethi Mansouri

The Post-uprising Arab World and the West: Mythology and Cultural Challenges, Robert Bowker

Political Economy Dynamics in the Arab Gulf States: Implications for Political Transition, Matthew Gray

Islam, Islamism, Muslims, and Governance: Beyond “Islam and Democracy”, Hisham Hellyer

The Saudi 'ulama and the Syrian Civil War, Raihan Ismail

Sectarian and Ethnic Politics: The Syrian Conflict, Minerva Nasser-Eddine

Iran’s Syrian Foreign Policy Objectives, Shahram Akbarzadeh

Iran’s Relations with Afghanistan’s National Unity Government, Bruce Koepke

Iranian–Saudi Relations in a Changing Regional Environment, Amin Saikal