The Arab World and Iran

Amin Saikal is Distinguished Professor of Political Science, Public Policy Fellow, and Director of the Centre for Arab and Islamic Studies (Middle East and Central Asia) at the Australian National University. He has published numerous books as author and editor; his work has also appeared in major journals and dailies, including The New York Times, International Herald Tribune, The Wall Street Journal, and The Guardian. He is a frequent commentator on TV and radio networks on issues pertinent to his field of specialty.

Chapter 1 The Middle East and North Africa: An Arena of Change and Transition?; Amin Saikal Part I The Arab World: Prospects and Challenges in TransitionChapter 2 Prospects for Democratization in the Middle East Post-Arab Spring; Fethi MansouriChapter 3 The Post-Uprising Arab World and the West: Mythology and Cultural Challenges; Robert BowkerChapter 4 Political Economy Dynamics in the Arab Gulf States: Implications for Political Transition; Matthew Gray Part II Islamism and Sectarian PoliticsChapter 5 Islam, Islamism, Muslims, and Governance: Beyond "Islam and Democracy"; Hisham HellyerChapter 6 The Saudi 'Ulama and the Syrian Civil War; Raihan IsmailChapter 7 Sectarian and Ethnic Politics: The Syrian Conflict; Minerva Nasser-Eddine Part III Iranian Domestic Politics and Regional InfluenceChapter 8 Iran's Syrian Foreign Policy Objectives; Shahram AkbarzadehChapter 9 Iran's Relations with Afghanistan's National Unity Government; Bruce KoepkeChapter 10 Iranian-Saudi Relations in a Changing Regional Environment; Amin SaikalChapter 11 Conclusion; Amin Saikal