The Arab world's strategic location and its considerable material and human potential should allow it to play a major role in world affairs. However, in addition to sharing language, culture and history, Arab states also face common challenges: authoritarian regimes, ethnic and social cleavages, economic underdevelopment, and the need for security from the West. Hassan Hamdan al-Alkim examines the dynamics of Arab foreign policy-making in the twenty-first century, taking account of the current political developments in the Arab world since January 2011. Through an insightful analysis of pivotal issues such as the Middle East Peace Process, the food and water crisis and Saudi Arabia's foreign policy, Alkim brings us closer to a nuanced understanding of contemporary Arab politics and its role in world affairs. This balanced and discerning study is essential reading for policy-makers, academics and students of Middle Eastern politics.



Hassan Hamdan al-Alkim is Professor of International Relations at UAE University and the General Director of the RAK Economic Development Department. His publications include The Foreign Policy of the United Arab Emirates and The GCC States in an Unstable World: Foreign-policy Dilemmas of Small States (both by Saqi Books). His website is www.hhalkim.ae.



Contents: List of Tables 6 List of Figures 7 List of Maps 8 Abbreviations 9 Prelude 11 Introduction 15 Part One: The Input Process 1. Political Aggregations and Political Articulations 23 2. The Socio-Economic Variables 62 3. The Changing World Order 93 4. The Regional Variable: Unstable Region 126 5. The Arab - Israeli Conflict 162 Part Two: The Output: Case Studies 6. Arab States' Policies towards the Middle East Peace Process 201 7. Desertification and Water Crisis in the Arab World 233 8. Food Insecurity in the Arab World 261 9. Determinants of Saudi Arabia's Foreign Policy-Making 294 Epilogue 335 Notes 341 Bibliography 379 Index 387