How can the current civil wars in the Middle East be resolved? This volume brings together academics, experts, and practitioners to explore this question. The book covers the history of civil wars in the region during the 20th century, and then examines the specific causes, drivers, and dynamics of the ongoing civil wars in Syria, Yemen, Libya, Afghanistan, and Iraq. Updated for a second edition, the book argues that while these are very different cases of civil war, there are patterns that are important to point out at the outset. First, while each of the conflicts appears to be a relatively recent phenomenon, each has a long historical tail. Second, each of the civil wars had deep and complex domestic drivers and dynamics over issues of governance, political identity, and resources; at the same time, all of the conflicts have had deep regional and international components. Finally, all of these civil wars have been affected by the presence or entrance of armed transnational non-state actors, which have had far greater involvement in the Middle Eastern civil wars compared to other regions. The book concludes that these conflicts will require a mixture of local, regional, and international interventions to bring them to an end, but that none of the conflicts are likely to end cleanly through either a negotiated settlement or a clear victory by one party or the other. Despite this pessimistic overall assessment, the book emphasizes that policymakers should use knowledge of civil wars in the Middle East to develop and pursue specific national, regional and global policies. These should be built around mitigating the worst effects of the conflicts and towards ultimate resolution.
Show moreHow can the current civil wars in the Middle East be resolved? This volume brings together academics, experts, and practitioners to explore this question. The book covers the history of civil wars in the region during the 20th century, and then examines the specific causes, drivers, and dynamics of the ongoing civil wars in Syria, Yemen, Libya, Afghanistan, and Iraq. Updated for a second edition, the book argues that while these are very different cases of civil war, there are patterns that are important to point out at the outset. First, while each of the conflicts appears to be a relatively recent phenomenon, each has a long historical tail. Second, each of the civil wars had deep and complex domestic drivers and dynamics over issues of governance, political identity, and resources; at the same time, all of the conflicts have had deep regional and international components. Finally, all of these civil wars have been affected by the presence or entrance of armed transnational non-state actors, which have had far greater involvement in the Middle Eastern civil wars compared to other regions. The book concludes that these conflicts will require a mixture of local, regional, and international interventions to bring them to an end, but that none of the conflicts are likely to end cleanly through either a negotiated settlement or a clear victory by one party or the other. Despite this pessimistic overall assessment, the book emphasizes that policymakers should use knowledge of civil wars in the Middle East to develop and pursue specific national, regional and global policies. These should be built around mitigating the worst effects of the conflicts and towards ultimate resolution.
Show morePreface to the Second Edition, Paul Salem, The Middle East
Institute, USA and Ross Harrison, The Middle East Institute,
USA
1. Middle East Civil Wars: Definitions, Drivers, and the Record of
the Recent Past, Paul Salem, The Middle East Institute, USA
2. What We Know about Ending Civil Wars, Jessica Maves,
Braithwaite, University of Arizona, USA
3. The Global and Regional Geopolitics of Civil War in the Middle
East, Ross Harrison, The Middle East Institute, USA
4. Yemen: The 60-Year War, Gerald Feierstein, The Middle East
Institute, USA previously of U.S. Foreign Service
5. The Syrian Civil War: Bringing the Conflict to a Close, Robert
S. Ford, The Middle East Institute, USA; previously of U.S Foreign
Service
6. Afghanistan's Unending Wars, Marvin G. Weinbaum, The Middle East
Institute, USA; previously of U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of
Intelligence and Research; and Ahmad Khalid Majidyar, previously of
the State Department, and Congress
7. The Origins of the Libyan Conflict and Options for its
Resolution, Jonathan M. Winer, The Middle East Institute, USA
previously United States Special Envoy for Libya
8. Iraq: A Conflict over State Identity and Ownership, Randa Slim,
The Middle East Institute, USA and Johns Hopkins University School
of Advanced and International Studies, USA
9. The Diplomacy of Engagement: Ending Civil Wars in Transitional
Middle Eastern States, Chester A. Crocker, Georgetown University,
USA
Concluding Thoughts and Policy Takeaways, Paul Salem, The Middle
East Institute, USA and Ross Harrison, The Middle East Institute,
USA
Practitioners and academics explain the origins and drivers of current civil wars in the Middle East and recommend how they can be resolved
Paul Salem is President of the Middle East Institute in
Washington D.C, US. Prior to joining the MEI, he was the founding
director of the Carnegie Middle East Center in Beirut, Lebanon
between 2006 and 2013. He has also been director of the Fares
Foundation, US, and he founded and directed the Lebanese Center for
Policy Studies, Lebanon.
Ross Harrison is Senior Fellow and Director of Research at
the Middle East Institute in Washington D.C, US. He is also a
member of faculty at the Department of Political Science in the
University of Pittsburgh, US. He was previously Professor in the
Practice of International Affairs for the Master of Science in the
Foreign Service Program at Georgetown University, US.
This timely volume provides a sober, thoughtful framework for
understanding the roots of civil war in the Middle East, as well as
ways to mitigate the human tragedy and strategic folly which all
too often result.
*William J. Burns, President of the Carnegie Endowment for
International Peace, Former Deputy Secretary of State*
This is a terrific volume on a desperately-needed topic. ... It
furnishes a superb guide to the civil wars of the region, providing
great wisdom and insight into their origins, dynamics,
consequences, and possible solutions. ... If you really want to
understand the conflicts of the Middle East, there is no better
place to start than this slim, smart book
*Kenneth M. Pollack, Resident Scholar at the American Enterprise
Institute, Former Director for Persian Gulf Affairs at the the
National Security Council*
An enormously important book that goes beyond the common Sunni/Shia
or Islamist/secular analysis of civil wars in the Middle East to
offer unexpected insights and solutions. The book was clearly
written by experts who lived these conflicts day-to-day, understand
why they took place, and know what it will take to end them.
*Anne W. Patterson, Former Assistant Secretary of State for Near
Eastern Affairs*
This volume provides incredibly useful reflections on conflicts in
the Middle East. It helps us all better understand specific
wars--tragic Syria, messy Iraq, militia-riddled Libya ... and
regional strife in Yemen--as well as broader trendlines that peer
into the future.
*Robin Wright, author of Rock the Casbah: Rage and Rebellion across
the Islamic World*
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