Armies and state-building in the modern Middle East: politics, nationalism and military reform

Author
Cronin, Stephanie
Publisher
I.B. Tauris
Year
2014
Language
English
Call Number
UA832 .C76 2014
ISBN
9781780767406
Reference Only
Off
Number of Pages
310
Library of Congress Subject Heading
Civil-military relations -- Middle East
Library of Congress Subject Heading 2
Middle East -- Armed Forces -- Political activity
Abstract

The uprisings of 2011, which erupted so unexpectedly and spread across the Middle East, once again propelled the armies of the region to the centre of the political stage. Throughout the region, the experience of the first decade of the twenty-first century provides ample reason to re-examine Middle Eastern armies and the historical context which produced them. By adding an historical understanding to a contemporary political analysis, Stephanie Cronin examines the structures and activities of Middle Eastern armies and their role in state- and empire-building. Focusing on Iran, Afghanistan and Saudi Arabia, Armies, Tribes and States in the Middle East presents a clear and concise analysis of the nature of armies and the differing guises military reform has taken throughout the region. Covering the region from the birth of modern armies there in the late-nineteenth and early-twentieth centuries, to the military revolutions of the 1950s and 60s and on to the twenty-first century army-building exercises seen in Iraq and Afghanistan, Cronin provides a unique and vital presentation of the role of the military in the modern Middle East.