Overlapping Regional Orders in the Middle East and North Africa: Norms and Social Practices of Foreign Behaviour

This book explores the foreign behavior of sub-systems in the Middle East and North Africa since 1945, arguing that rules and primary institutions have sanctioned it. It provides a comprehensive overview of regional politics, examining the normative content and evolution of multiple international orders, including the intra-Arab, Arab-Israeli, and Arab-Iranian orders. The author argues that a plurality of overlapping regional orders have coexisted, each with its own differentiated norms and institutions, and that this analytical proposal helps make sense of foreign relations in the region. The book appeals to students and specialists alike.

Format: Unspecified
Length: 330 pages
Publication date: 24 November 2023
Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd

Focused on a set of overlapping international orders of regional scope present in the Middle East and North Africa, this book argues that rules and primary institutions have sanctioned the foreign behavior of the sub-systems international actors since 1945. The author avoids recent IR trends focused on narrow case studies, instead providing a comprehensive overview of the MENAs regional politics. The normative content and evolution of multiple international orders are examined, constituting the intra-Arab order, the Arab-Israeli order, and the Arab-Iranian order, as well as the expression of the global order in regional interactions. Drawing on Area Studies and English School and constructivist IR theories, the author argues that a plurality of overlapping regional orders have coexisted since 1945, not just one as is commonly suggested in the literature. Each of these orders is integrated by different participants and has developed its own differentiated norms and institutions setting parameters on legitimate behavior. This analytical proposal helps make sense of foreign relations otherwise labeled as incoherent.

The book has wide appeal, accessible both to students wishing to learn about the politics, history, and sociology of the Middle East, as well as to specialists seeking original research on the functioning of the MENAs regional orders.

Weight: 800g
Dimension: 234 x 156 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781032529714