scholarly journals Waiting for IR Godot? In search of transformative encounters between Middle Eastern Studies and International Relations

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-14
Author(s):  
Irene Costantini ◽  
Ruth Hanau Santini
Keyword(s):  
International Relations ◽  
Middle Eastern ◽  
Regional Security ◽  
Mena Region ◽  
Theoretical Terms ◽  
Arab Uprisings ◽  
Middle Eastern Studies ◽  
Security Practices ◽  
Military Security ◽  
Original Application

Abstract Within the Special Issue ‘Reaching for allies? The dialectics and overlaps between International Relations and Area Studies in the study of politics, security, and conflicts’, this article investigates the post-2011 changing relationship between International Relations (IR) and Middle Eastern Studies (MES). The article departs from the assumption that the reading and writing of security in, on and from the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region has historically been trapped between the projection of security from abroad and endogenous security narratives. We argue that within the post-Arab uprisings renewed scholarly attention, with studies on security in, on and from the MENA region expressing an all-time methodological pluralism and the increasing and original application of bottom-up and non-military security understandings to regional security, societal and human security are among the most promising notions for transformative dialogue between IR and MES. In broader theoretical terms, we show how the ongoing debate on post-Weberian notions of statehood and post-Westphalian sovereignty point to an already transformative dialogue between IR and MES. The article illustrates this trend with two case studies – on Tunisia and on Iraq – pointing to changing security concepts reflecting changing security practices.

Pensée 3: Free Speech and the Question of Israel: A British Perspective

2008 ◽  
Vol 40 (2) ◽  
pp. 193-194
Author(s):  
Avi Shlaim
Keyword(s):  
International Relations ◽  
Free Speech ◽  
Middle Eastern ◽  
Academic Community ◽  
Academic Environment ◽  
Middle Eastern Studies ◽  
British Perspective ◽  
The Right ◽  
American Academic

As a member of the British academic community—an international relations professor who is deeply involved in Middle Eastern studies—I find it distressing that some of the most dismal aspects of the American academic environment are coming our way. Nowhere is this trend more pronounced than on the question of Israel. That country is, of course, no stranger to controversy, but the attack on the right of academics to criticize Israel is a relatively recent and a highly disturbing phenomenon.

Unipolarity and the Middle East. By Birthe Hansen. New York: St. Martin's, 2000. 288p. $59.95. War, Institutions and Social Change in the Middle East. Edited by Steven Heydemann. Berkeley: University of California Press, 2000. 372p. $60.00 cloth, $24.95 paper. “Pariah States” and Sanctions in the Middle East: Iraq, Libya, Sudan. By Tim Niblock. Boulder, CO: Lynne Rienner, 2001. 241p. $49.95.

2002 ◽  
Vol 96 (1) ◽  
pp. 263-264
Author(s):  
Robert O. Freedman
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
Middle East ◽  
International Relations ◽  
Comparative Politics ◽  
Middle Eastern ◽  
Theoretical Models ◽  
Middle Eastern Studies ◽  
The One ◽  
Middle East Studies ◽  
Pariah States

Scholars of Middle Eastern studies in the last decade often were preoccupied with two major problems. First, the democratization that has spread over most of the globe seems to have missed the Middle East. Second, there appears to be a growing gap between international relations and comparative politics theory, on the one hand, and Middle East studies, on the other. In seeking to explain why, some point to the highly politicized scholarship that can still be found in Middle East studies. Others argue that the theorists simply have not tried hard enough to fit the special nature of the Middle East into their theoretical models, or that Middle Eastern scholars have not tried hard enough to deal with theory. Two of the three books under review, by Hansen and Heydemann, do a great deal to narrow the gap between theory and reality in the Middle East. The book by Niblock is an example of the kind of highly politicized scholarship that is still found too often in Middle Eastern studies.

Digital Middle East

2018 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Middle East ◽  
New Media ◽  
Information And Communication Technologies ◽  
Information Technologies ◽  
Complex Dynamics ◽  
Middle Eastern ◽  
Mena Region ◽  
New Information ◽  
Fast Pace ◽  
Information And Communication

In recent years, the Middle East’s information and communications landscape has changed dramatically. Increasingly, states, businesses, and citizens are capitalizing on the opportunities offered by new information technologies, the fast pace of digital transformations, and enhanced connectivity. These changes are far from turning Middle Eastern nations into network societies, but their impact is significant. The growing adoption of a wide variety of information technologies and new media platforms in everyday life has given rise to complex dynamics that beg for a better understanding. Digital Middle East sheds a critical light on continuing changes that are closely intertwined with the adoption of information and communication technologies in the MENA region. Drawing on case studies from throughout the Middle East, the contributors explore how these digital transformations are playing out in the social, cultural, political, and economic spheres, exposing the various disjunctions and discordances that have marked the advent of the digital Middle East.

Origins and Evolution of the North American Stable Peace

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
David G. Haglund
Keyword(s):  
International Relations ◽  
North American ◽  
Western Europe ◽  
Regional Security ◽  
Interstate Relations ◽  
American Experience ◽  
Back Seat ◽  
The North ◽  
Security Communities ◽  
Primary Focus

Interstate relations among the North American countries have been irenic for so long that the continent is often assumed to have little if anything to contribute to scholarly debates on peaceful change. In good measure, this can be attributed to the way in which discussions of peaceful change often become intertwined with a different kind of inquiry among international relations scholars, one focused upon the origins and denotative characteristics of “pluralistic security communities.” Given that it is generally (though not necessarily accurately) considered that such security communities first arose in Western Europe, it is not difficult to understand why the North American regional-security story so regularly takes an analytical back seat to what is considered to be the far more interesting European one. This article challenges the idea that there is little to learn from the North American experience, inter alia by stressing three leading theoretical clusters within which can be situated the scholarly corpus of works attempting to assess the causes of peaceful change on the continent. Although the primary focus is on the Canada–US relationship, the article includes a brief discussion of where Mexico might be said to fit in the regional-security order.

Assessing the bank profitability in the MENA region

2014 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 305-332 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rim Ben Selma Mokni ◽  
Houssem Rachdi
Keyword(s):  
Method Of Moments ◽  
North Africa ◽  
Banking Sector ◽  
Middle Eastern ◽  
Generalized Method Of Moments ◽  
Mena Region ◽  
Bank Profitability ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Conventional Banks ◽  
Econometric Technique

Purpose – Which of the banking stream is relatively more profitable in Middle Eastern and North Africa (MENA) region? Design/methodology/approach – The empirical study covers a sample of 15 conventional and 15 Islamic banks for the period 2002-2009.The authors estimate models using the generalized method of moments in system, of Blundell and Bond (1998). They exploit an up-to-date econometric technique which takes into consideration the issue of endogeneity of regressors to evaluate the comparative profitability of Islamic and conventional banks in the MENA region. Findings – Empirical analysis results show that the determinants’ significance varies between Islamic and conventional banks. Profitability seems to be quite persistent in the MENA region reflecting a higher degree of government intervention and may signal barriers to competition. Originality/value – The main interest is to develop a comprehensive model that integrates macroeconomic, industry-specific and bank-specific determinants. The paper makes comparison of the performance between two different banking systems in the MENA region. The authors consider a variable crisis to gain additional insights into the impacts of the financial crisis on MENA banking sector.

What Works in the Language Classroom: The 2005 Western Consortium Multi-Language Conference

2005 ◽  
Vol 39 (1) ◽  
pp. 49-60
Author(s):  
Lance Askildson ◽  
Bryan Meadows
Keyword(s):  
Conference Proceedings ◽  
Middle Eastern ◽  
Language Instruction ◽  
What Works ◽  
Middle Eastern Studies ◽  
University Of Arizona ◽  
Language Classroom ◽  
Conference Presentations ◽  
The University ◽  
Participant Reactions

The 2005 Western Consortium Multi-Language Conference was hosted by the University of Arizona Center for Middle Eastern Studies. The theme and focus of this year conference proceedings was titled, hat Works in the Language Classroom. The conference thus aimed to bring together teachers and scholars of Middle Eastern languages in order to elucidate relevant pedagogical trends and techniques in the field of language instruction. Moreover, the conference served as a valuable venue for the exchange of pedagogically grounded scholarly material that provided for demonstrated classroom application. Conference participants and session presenters represented a diversity of institutions from around the country. The following provides a brief summary of the featured conference presentations and participant reactions.

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