InthesecondeditionofTheNewMiddleEast:WhatEveryoneNeedstoKnow,renownedMiddleEastscholarJamesL.GelvinexplainshowintheaftermathofthecollapseoftheUSSR,theAmericaninvasionofIraq,andtheArabuprisingsof2010-11,anewMiddleEasthasemerged.Syria,Libya,andYemenhavebecome“crisisstates,“wherewarlordsvieagainstgovernmentsandeachother.TheeconomiesofIran,Turkey,andLebanon,weakenedbycorruption,sanctions,andneoliberaleconomicpolicies,haveimploded.Somestateshavedoubled-downonrepression,whileothersinterveneintheinternalaffairsoftheirneighborswithimpunity.TherevisedandexpandededitionexploresthesehallmarksoftheNewMiddleEast,alongwiththeendofAmericanhegemonyintheregion,theexpansionof“conflictzones,“thecontinuedcentralityoftheSaudi-Iraniancompetition,andtheramificationsofthebreakdownoftheIsrael-Palestinepeaceprocess.ItalsohighlightsthecrisisofhumansecuritybroughtonbytheCOVID-19pandemic,badgovernance,stagnanteconomies,poorhealthcareandeducationaldeliverysystems,climatechange,foodandwaterinsecurity,populationgrowthandimbalance,andtheunprecedenteddisplacementofpopulations.Inaconcisequestion-and-answerformat,Gelvinoutlinesthesocial,political,andeconomiccontoursoftheNewMiddleEast,illuminatingthecurrentcrisisintheregionandexploringhowitislikelytoevolveinthedecadestocome.
CLIMATECHANGE EVERYONE KNOW NEW climatechange
