Eclipse of the Sunnis

Eclipse of the Sunnis PDF Author: Deborah Amos
Publisher: Public Affairs
ISBN: 158648950X
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 258

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Book Description
An eye-opening look at the displacement of Sunni power and culture throughout the Middle East by an award-winning NPR reporter

Eclipse of the Sunnis

Eclipse of the Sunnis PDF Author: Deborah Amos
Publisher: Public Affairs
ISBN: 158648950X
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 258

Get Book Here

Book Description
An eye-opening look at the displacement of Sunni power and culture throughout the Middle East by an award-winning NPR reporter

Eclipse of the Sunnis

Eclipse of the Sunnis PDF Author: Deborah Amos
Publisher: ReadHowYouWant.com
ISBN: 1458758745
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 334

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Book Description
Hundreds of thousands of Sunni Muslims displaced or exiled by the conflict in Iraq have spread across the Middle East, unbalancing that sensitive region. From Amman to Beirut and Damascus, Deborah Amos follows the impact of one of the great migrations of modern times. The history of the Middle East tells us that one of the greatest problems of the last forty years has been that of a displaced population, angered by their inability to safely return home and resume ownership of their property - as they see it. Now, the pattern has been repeated. A new population of exiles, as large as the Palestinians, has been created. This particular displacement stirs up the historic conflict between Sunni and Shia. More significant even than the creation of colonial nation states a century ago, the alienation of the Sunni middle class has the capacity to cause resounding resentments across the region for generations to come.

The Caliph and the Imam

The Caliph and the Imam PDF Author: Toby Matthiesen
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 019068948X
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 961

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Book Description
The authoritative account of Islam's schism that for centuries has shaped events in the Middle East and the Islamic world. In 632, soon after the Prophet Muhammad died, a struggle broke out among his followers as to who would succeed him. Most Muslims argued that the leader of Islam should be elected by the community's elite and rule as Caliph. They would later become the Sunnis. Otherswho would become known as the Shiabelieved that Muhammad had designated his cousin and son-in-law Ali as his successor, and that henceforth Ali's offspring should lead as Imams. This dispute over who should guide Muslims, the Caliph or the Imam, marks the origin of the Sunni-Shii split in Islam. Toby Matthiesen explores this hugely significant division from its origins to the present day. Moving chronologically, his book sheds light on the many ways that it has shaped the Islamic world, outlining how over the centuries Sunnism and Shiism became Islam's two main branches, and how Muslim Empires embraced specific sectarian identities. Focussing on connections between the Indian subcontinent and the Middle East, it reveals how colonial rule and the modern state institutionalised sectarian divisions and at the same time led to pan-Islamic resistance and Sunni and Shii revivalism. It then focuses on the fall-out from the 1979 revolution in Iran and the US-led military intervention in Iraq. As Matthiesen shows, however, though Sunnism and Shiism have had a long and antagonistic history, most Muslims have led lives characterised by confessional ambiguity and peaceful co-existence. Tensions arise when sectarian identity becomes linked to politics. Based on a synthesis of decades of scholarship in numerous languages, The Caliph and the Imam will become the standard text for readers looking for a deeper understanding of contemporary sectarian conflict and its historical roots.

Shifting Sands

Shifting Sands PDF Author: Joel S. Migdal
Publisher: Columbia University Press
ISBN: 0231536348
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 423

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Book Description
Joel S. Migdal revisits the approach U.S. officials have adopted toward the Middle East since World War II, which paid scant attention to tectonic shifts in the region. After the war, the United States did not restrict its strategic model to the Middle East. Beginning with Harry S. Truman, American presidents applied a uniform strategy rooted in the country's Cold War experience in Europe to regions across the globe, designed to project America into nearly every corner of the world while limiting costs and overreach. The approach was simple: find a local power that could play Great Britain's role in Europe after the war, sharing the burden of exercising power, and establish a security alliance along the lines of NATO. Yet regional changes following the creation of Israel, the Free Officers Coup in Egypt, the rise of Arab nationalism from 1948 to 1952, and, later, the Iranian Revolution and the Egypt-Israel peace treaty in 1979 complicated this project. Migdal shows how insufficient attention to these key transformations led to a series of missteps and misconceptions in the twentieth century. With the Arab uprisings of 2009 through 2011 prompting another major shift, Migdal sees an opportunity for the United States to deploy a new, more workable strategy, and he concludes with a plan for gaining a stable foothold in the region.

Contemporary West Asia

Contemporary West Asia PDF Author: Sujata Ashwarya
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1000517543
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 405

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Book Description
This book provides a comprehensive analysis of the complexities of change and continuity in West Asia, its society, religion and politics. An overview of the region’s political, social and economic characteristics brought into sharper relief with the on-going turmoil in the region constitutes the introduction of the book. While the subsequent two chapters, along with the introductory text, constitute the thematic overview and orientation of the book, the different chapters dedicated to specific countries explore the recent transformative developments in the region. These chapters chart the emergence of Islamist and post Islamist politics in Iran and Lebanon, elaborate upon the prevailing civil war conditions in Iraq, Syria, Yemen and Libya, examine the impact of the Arab uprisings that began in 2011 on Egypt, Jordan and the Arab Gulf countries, and explore the intricate interplay between Islam and democracy in the present-day politics of Turkey. While highlighting politics, the texts of the chapters also delve into history, religion and foreign policy. This book will be as useful for the students of West Asian affairs as it will be for policymakers and any interested reader. Please note: Taylor & Francis does not sell or distribute the Hardback in India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka

Islam and the Rule of Justice

Islam and the Rule of Justice PDF Author: Lawrence Rosen
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
ISBN: 022651174X
Category : Law
Languages : en
Pages : 293

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Book Description
In the West, we tend to think of Islamic law as an arcane and rigid legal system, bound by formulaic texts yet suffused by unfettered discretion. While judges may indeed refer to passages in the classical texts or have recourse to their own orientations, images of binding doctrine and unbounded choice do not reflect the full reality of the Islamic law in its everyday practice. Whether in the Arabic-speaking world, the Muslim portions of South and Southeast Asia, or the countries to which many Muslims have migrated, Islamic law works is readily misunderstood if the local cultures in which it is embedded are not taken into account. With Islam and the Rule of Justice, Lawrence Rosen analyzes a number of these misperceptions. Drawing on specific cases, he explores the application of Islamic law to the treatment of women (who win most of their cases), the relations between Muslims and Jews (which frequently involve close personal and financial ties), and the structure of widespread corruption (which played a key role in prompting the Arab Spring). From these case studie the role of informal mechanisms in the resolution of local disputes. The author also provides a close reading of the trial of Zacarias Moussaoui, who was charged in an American court with helping to carry out the 9/11 attacks, using insights into how Islamic justice works to explain the defendant’s actions during the trial. The book closes with an examination of how Islamic cultural concepts may come to bear on the constitutional structure and legal reforms many Muslim countries have been undertaking.

Iraqi Refugees in the United States

Iraqi Refugees in the United States PDF Author: Ken R. Crane
Publisher: NYU Press
ISBN: 1479849618
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 258

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Book Description
How Iraqi refugees navigate life, belonging, and exclusion in America The US invasion of Iraq in 2003 caused the largest forced migration in the Middle East since 1948, with millions of people fleeing to Syria, Jordan, Turkey, Iran, European Union, Australia and the United States. In Iraqi Refugees in the United States, Ken R. Crane explores the uphill climb faced by Iraqi refugees who have sought belonging in a country engaged in an ongoing War on Terror. Drawing on numerous interviews and fieldwork, Crane explores the diverse experiences of a community of Iraqi refugees, showing how they have struggled to negotiate their place in the wake of mass displacement. He highlights the promise of belonging, as well as their many painful encounters with exclusion. Ultimately, Crane provides a window into the complexities of what “becoming American” means for Iraqi refugees, even as they are perceived by other Americans as “security threats.” As debates about immigration and refugee status continue to play out in headlines and the courts, Iraqi Refugees in the United States provides important insight into the global refugee crisis.

Counterinsurgency

Counterinsurgency PDF Author: Douglas Porch
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 1107244897
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 449

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Book Description
Counterinsurgency has staked its claim in the new century as the new American way of war. Yet, the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq have revived a historical debate about the costs - monetary, political and moral - of operations designed to eliminate insurgents and build nations. Today's counterinsurgency proponents point to 'small wars' past to support their view that the enemy is 'biddable' if the correct tactical formulas are applied. Douglas Porch's sweeping history of counterinsurgency campaigns carried out by the three 'providential nations' of France, Britain and the United States, ranging from nineteenth-century colonial conquests to General Petraeus' 'Surge' in Iraq, challenges the contemporary mythologising of counterinsurgency as a humane way of war. The reality, he reveals, is that 'hearts and minds' has never been a recipe for lasting stability and that past counterinsurgency campaigns have succeeded not through state-building but by shattering and dividing societies while unsettling civil-military relations.

Death, Dominance, and State-Building

Death, Dominance, and State-Building PDF Author: Roger D. Petersen
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0197760740
Category : Internal security
Languages : en
Pages : 593

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Book Description
In Death, Dominance, and State-Building, Roger D. Petersen offers a definitive work on the course, conduct, and aftermath of the Iraq war. He uniquely combines an accessible analytical framework with detailed case studies that unpack the dynamics between the US military and various Shia and Sunni insurgents. The book covers the entire 2003-2023 period in Iraq, incorporating the insights and voices of US military personnel, Iraqi citizens, and even Iraqi insurgents. While it comprehensively covers the past in Iraq, it also draws lessons for the future of American military intervention.

The New Threat

The New Threat PDF Author: Jason Burke
Publisher: The New Press
ISBN: 162097360X
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 321

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Book Description
From Syria to Somalia, from Libya to Indonesia, from Yemen to the capitals of Europe, Islamic militancy appears stronger, more widespread, and more threatening than ever. In The New Threat prizewinning frontline reporter Jason Burke cuts through the mass of opinion and misinformation to explain the nature of the threat we now face. Shortlisted for the Orwell Prize, The New Threat offers insight into the rise of ISIS and other groups, such as Boko Haram, which together command significant military power, rule millions, and control extensive territories. Elsewhere, Al Qaeda remains potent and is rapidly evolving. As a new generation of Western extremists emerges—as seen by the horrifying attacks in Paris and Brussels as well as the "lone wolf" operatives in the United States—Burke argues it is imperative that we understand who these groups are and what they actually want.