Understanding the Contemporary Middle East.

Deborah J. Gerner. Editor. Understanding the Contemporary Middle East. Boulder, CO.: Lynne Rienner Publishers, 2000. 420 pages. Paper $ 22.00.

DEBORAH GERNER, A POLITICAL SCIENTIST at the University of Kansas, has made various contributions to the study of Middle Eastern politics in general and Palestinian-Israeli relations in particular. Her latest contribution in the latter field is a study entitled, One Land, Two Peoples: the Conflict over Palestine (1994). Her edited work under review is far more comprehensive with respect to the academic backgrounds of its contributors and topics that, among other things, explores themes relating to the Middle East's geography, history, politics, international relations, economics, cultures, anthropology, literature, ethnicity, genders and religions. The text is organized into thirteen chapters that are easy to read and understand, and together they contain much of the positive and negative features that characterize the large majority of edited introductory works. It manages to refute many stereotypical images and oversimplified generalizations that often misrepresent the region and its people. The text also highlights a number of underlining complexities regarding domestic problems confronting Middle Eastern countries and, to a lesser degree, addresses other external challenges that have confronted the region and continue to threaten its people. Above all, the text's multidimensional and interdisciplinary approach makes it useful for those seeking general introductory coverage of the entire subject, along with gaining in-depth analysis of specific topics concerning colonialism, socioeconomic and political challenges, media biases, ethnic conflicts, religions and the status of women in the Middle East.

As far as the quality of each of the thirteen essays are concerned, comparisons between them reveal signs of strengths and weaknesses as well as overlapping and disproportionate. coverage that are usually caused by the presence of more than one author, style and approach. Despite this, the text is quite useful for enhancing students' abilities to think and learn about the region not only because of its diverse themes, balanced arguments and its student-friendly approach, but also because of its recognition of the contributions of much of the region's inhabitants. Generally, the essays are well-written and evince thorough and up-to-date research that recognizes strong interactions between the peoples of the Middle East and their surrounding environment. Along with Gerner's work, additional texts addressing similar themes such as, for example, Beverley Milton-Edwards's text on Contemporary Politics in the Middle East (2000), can also be utilized to further enrich students' abilities to conduct more mature and well-informed debates about the Middle East.

The introductory chapter of Understanding the Contemporary Middle East examines the text's main highlights and surveys each essay's general focus as it relates to various sub-fields in the social sciences and humanities. Beyond this, the editor made efforts to address and correct common misconceptions and biases found in ethnocentric texts and media coverage about the region. Diversities shaping contemporary Middle Eastern societies, geographies, histories, religions, cultures, economics and politics are themes that can be seen throughout the text's illustrations of the changing conditions of Arabs, Turks, Persians, Israelis, Kurds and others in the region. The second chapter identifies the physical setting, geology, climate changes, natural resources and human geography, along with critically examining existing artificial boundaries and creations that in many cases divide the region in unexplainable ways. This essay also sets out the ways in which the Middle East region has been studied over the years, look s at examples of changes marking the region's modem borders, and reviews advancements in modern Middle Eastern urban life. The third chapter provides an informative, although brief, summary of the region's entire history in ways that are typical to introductory texts about the subject. Among other things, the chapter explains the major turning points in the region's civilizations, with a focus on Islamic history, in which Islam is treated as a general way of life that is closely connected with everyday activities, including political ones.

Although accurate as it may be, this view overlooks current interpretations of Islam that recognizes the presence of vast diversities in beliefs, values and political practices of Muslims worldwide. Moreover, the influences of the Islamic civilization on the West were often downplayed, while, on the other hand, the impact of western cultures and values on the region was largely overemphasized and presented in a non-critical manner.

In the fourth chapter, Gerner and Philip Schrodt look at current changes affecting Middle Eastern politics and societies, with a special focus on Arab politics. The chapter mainly explores domestic challenges that have influenced Middle Eastern politics in a larger context that recognizes the damaging effects of colonial legacies of interventions and penetrations in the region. Among other issues, the chapter discusses factors associated with a number of economic achievements and/or obstacles in some countries, along with roles often played by popular ideologies, powerful personalities and strong military institutions in shoring up regime's legitimacy in various countries. In so doing, the chapter sets the stage for more thinking about current and future regional changes in the post-Cold War era, especially regarding the changing role of ideologies and institutions and shifting alliances. In the next chapter, Mary Ann Tetreault provides additional analysis on the politics and relations in the region with a f ocus on oil and politics in the contemporary Middle East. Issues surrounding great power politics and games that determined much of the future of the Middle East without consulting its inhabitants were also included. No doubt, the large majority of Middle Eastern countries remain, in one way or another, subjected to outside challenges that deepen already existing domestic failures. The oil factor and its impact on the region's domestic and foreign policymaking and relations are subjects that deserve such special attention given by the author.

In the sixth chapter, Simona Sharoni and Mohammed Abu-Nimer, an Israeli Jew and a Palestinian with an Israeli citizenship, concentrate on the historical and current claims and counterclaims of Palestinians and Israelis. Their balanced arguments and fair coverage of both sides will considerably help students raise the level of their understanding of a conflict that remains at the heart of all regional conflicts. Recent violent events surrounding IsraeliPalestinian relations, however, call for revising and updating the essay. Contrary to what the essay suggests and implies with respect to progress in the pursuit of peace options by both parties, for instance, an increasing number of Palestinians and Israelis are becoming more engaged in re-formulating their strategies in ways favoring the utilization of radical means and solutions. The lack of just and viable models to resolve the conflict peacefully between the parties will likely make militant options more popular. In addition, the authors make interesting c orrections to various generalizations and mistakes often raised by the media and on the streets when describing Palestinians and Israelis.

Chapter seven summarizes the economic history of the Middle East over much of the past century. It focuses on patterns of economic development, past and current challenges and obstacles to growth, including, but not limited to, poor economic infrastructures in many countries, lack of social and political stability in others and the absence of technological know-how and scientific progress in much of the region. Although the chapter brings critical themes regarding forms of domestic challenges that hinder economic successes in the region, it does not equally address other effects that derive from past colonial policies along with those associated with international market policies that tend to block progress in countries with weaker economies. The chapter's cross country comparisons and case-oriented accounts bring valuable assessments to domestic causes that often lead to underdevelopment in countries in the region. Chapter eight reveals other various domestic problems that largely derive from population gro wth, uneven economic and urban development, deep poverty and health hazards in many areas, as well as those relating to social inequalities and unemployment in much of the Middle East. This chapter provides essential additional information, to those already given in the previous one, especially with regard to the understanding of indigenous factors that contribute to economic and social upheavals in the region. In addition to addressing those and other related problems, the chapter explores issues regarding different levels of short-term and long-term solutions to domestic challenges.

From a combined anthropological and historical perspective on the subject, the ninth chapter investigates how factors such as kinship, class and ethnicity have influenced past and current changes in family structures, political identity, and cultural and gender relations in the modern nation-states of the region. The chapter reveals strong correlation between hardships resulting from scarce economic resources and difficult environmental conditions that can be felt in the region, with those associated with the political, psychological and social circumstances, along with inefficiencies surrounding various institutional and administrative structures in most Middle Eastern societies and states. Chapter ten launches a critical analysis of various western studies and scholarships addressing the status of women in the Middle East and North Africa. The essay brings a sympathetic look at the conditions of women in the Middle East, with a focus on women's revolutionary achievements, namely those relating to their part icipation in organizing and supporting modern political parties and movements. Consistent with the text's general approach, the chapter criticizes various false assumptions regarding Middle Eastern women, and recognizes the presence of diversities in the social, political, historical, economic and cultural experiences of women in the region and around the world.

The chapter on religion and politics contains remarkable coverage of not only Islamic politics, as usually is the case in most Middle Eastern introductory texts, but also in connecting Islam with other major religions in the region. While examining Judaism, Christianity and Islam in a historical context, the authors corrected various misunderstandings that often single out Islam as the sole religion in the region that promotes holy wars, while in reality similar calls regarding holy wars can also be found in the history of Judaism and Christianity. Among other things, the essay discusses the current political conditions of the Christian communities in Egypt, Lebanon, the Sudan and Palestine. It also reviews the rising role of Jewish fundamentalism in Israeli politics and Palestinian-Israeli relations, and addresses trends in Islamic resurgence movements in a number of countries. The increasing role of religious ideologies in the politics of the region and elsewhere around the globe were explored in the contex t of new changes that began taking place since the end of the Cold War, which largely witnessed increasing discussions about the rising political appeals of religious activism worldwide.

Miriam Cooke's chapter is quite interesting in its historical coverage of the role literature plays in the region. It includes a wide variety of examples and reflections on novels, short stories, poetry and other works made by various ranks of contributors coming from diverse ethnic, political and social backgrounds which includes, among others, Arabs (mainly Egyptians), Iranians, Turks and Israelis. The chapter also reviews various forms of literary productions that address the peoples' struggles against colonialism and post-colonialism, along with those regarding participation in national liberation and women movements in various countries. At the same time, the author brings a well-balanced coverage of examples relating to various themes and topics that shed light on daily life in the region. The final chapter concludes the discussions by revisiting earlier themes regarding diversities in contributions and achievements made by the peoples of the Middle East. It mainly looks at the current socioeconomic and political difficulties that continue to challenge the region and its peoples well into the present century.

Useful for undergraduate students in Middle Eastern and global studies, Understanding the Contemporary Middle East should also be read by anyone concerned with reexamining their thoughts about a region that has been poorly understood and often made very obscure to many people, especially in the West.

Husam Mohamad is an assistant professor in the Department of Political Science at the University of Central Oklahoma, Edmond.