Grand Strategies of Middle East States
About this ebook
Ranging from the Arab uprisings and the Abraham Accords to the wars and crises that followed the October 7 attacks, this book provides comparative insight on how grand strategy changes over time. It demonstrates that while international pressures influence their strategic choices, Middle Eastern states exercise autonomy in shaping their grand strategies instead of simply reacting to external forces or changes in the international system, showing the significance of strategic cultures, leaders’ perceptions, and concerns over internal stability. Domestic political factors—including state-society relations, civil-military relations, institutions, and elite opinion—influence how leaders interpret regional and global developments as threats, opportunities, or both.
Featuring case studies of Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Iran, and Turkey, Grand Strategies of Middle East States challenges approaches that focus primarily on great powers or reduce Middle Eastern politics to ideology or sectarianism. Integrating international relations theory with area expertise, this book offers a systematic account of state behavior in one of the world’s most strategically important and rapidly changing regions.
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About the author
Thomas Juneau is a professor in the Graduate School of Public and International Affairs at the University of Ottawa.
Steven E. Lobell is a professor of political science at the University of Utah.
Norrin M. Ripsman is Monroe J. Rathbone Distinguished Professor of International Relations at Lehigh University.
Lawrence Rubin is a professor in the Sam Nunn School of International Affairs at the Georgia Institute of Technology.
