PART I. States and state building
The end of empires : the emergence of the modern Middle Eastern states
The growth of state power in the Arab world : the single-party regimes
The growth of state power in the Arab world under family rule, and the Libyan alternative
Arab nationalism, Arab unity and the practice of intra-Arab state relations
State and politics in Israel, Iran and Turkey from the Second World War
The remaking of the Middle Eastern political environment between the two Gulf wars
PART II. Themes in contemporary Middle Eastern politics
The politics of economic restructuring
Parties, elections and the vexed question of democracy in the Arab world
The politics of religious revival
The military in and out of politics
Some important non-state actors
PART III. The impact of the 11 September attacks
America attempts to remake the Middle East
Conclusion : The Middle East at the beginning of the twenty-first century.