The International Relations of the Contemporary Middle East

The play of power is a fascinating lens through which to view many things around us both theologically, from the standpoint of Divine Omnipotence, and in the sense employed in political philosophy; it is a focus within a broader metaphysical perspective. Ismael and Perry’s superb collection of articles examines contemporary international relations in the Middle East from this point of view. The contributors all employ the concept of imperialism, which they define as a pattern of alliances between the Centre (the imperialist developed countries), numerous other client ‘centres’ in the Periphery (i.e. the client regimes of the Middle East), and another Centre in the Periphery that is the beachhead of imperialist powers (Israel). This theoretical framework is the subject of the first chapter, and despite its simplicity, the model lends itself to profound analysis for a number of reasons. The modern history of the Middle East can be divided into four main phases, all of which are interplays of power: the last years of the Ottoman caliphate in which the counter-balancing force of Caliphal unity meant that the world appeared like two balancing centers (albeit with the equilibrium shifting rapidly to one side); this is followed by a brief colonial period, independence and the subsequent failure of Pan-Arabism; and finally the entrenchment of post-colonial client regimes.