Includes bibliographical references (p. [241]-271) and index.

PART I. States and state building -- The end of empires : the emergence of the modern Middle Eastern states -- The growth of state power in the Arab world : the single-party regimes -- The growth of state power in the Arab world under family rule, and the Libyan alternative -- Arab nationalism, Arab unity and the practice of intra-Arab state relations -- State and politics in Israel, Iran and Turkey from the Second World War -- The remaking of the Middle Eastern political environment between the two Gulf wars -- PART II. Themes in contemporary Middle Eastern politics -- The politics of economic restructuring -- Parties, elections and the vexed question of democracy in the Arab world -- The politics of religious revival -- The military in and out of politics -- Some important non-state actors -- PART III. The impact of the 11 September attacks -- America attempts to remake the Middle East -- Conclusion : The Middle East at the beginning of the twenty-first century.