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The Middle East as a U.S. Predicament

All you need to know about The Bush II Years (2000-2008) is here:

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Volume I: Elites and Concepts

Volume II: Networks


Author: Hichem Karoui

With a preface by: Arno Tausch


ANTHEM PRESS – London- New York- Delhi

Editorial Reviews

Review

‘A good example of ‘American studies’ in the classical sense of the word, combining insights from political science, sociology, history and economics. For any student of Washington decision making [...] this work may even be presented as a ‘Who’s Who in Republican America’.’ —from the Foreword by Arno Tausch, Adjunct Professor of Political Science at Innsbruck University

‘The author emphasizes the convergence of networks of politicians, businessmen and military personnel, in shaping that nucleus of social engineering in the USA and in the Middle East. The unlikely meeting of the ‘Bedouin and the Cowboy’ is at the heart of this system.’ —Nilüfer Göle, Professor of Sociology, Director of Researches at the EHESS

‘Quite remarkable. It is an undeniable contribution to the knowledge of US policy and the causes of its failures in today’s Middle East, at a decisive phase of its history.’ —Burhan Ghalioun, Professor of Political Sociology at Paris III University (Sorbonne Nouvelle), Director of the Centre d’Etudes sur l’Orient Contemporain (CEOC)

Product Description (Volume I)

‘Elites and Concepts’ examines the action and the doctrines of several US administrations in the Middle East, in order to pinpoint what went wrong in the relationships between them and the region. It shows how this regional subsystem is made in such a way that it constantly appears to seek sponsorship from an outside power. Analyzing the Bush Doctrine, this volume questions the absence of any sign linking the Doctrine to economical and financial motivations and to political and electoral issues, providinga comperehensive answer as to the public and real agendas. This study explains how Bush’s vision of the Middle East is identifiable to his network and not to be separated from the “laissez faire, laissez passez” ideology of the conservative right and its “moral bricolage”; in so doing, it gives an exhaustive account of the conservative and neo-conservative landscape and ideology, with a focus on the Middle East, along with a complete “Who’s Who” of its leaders and organizations. The ideological connections between US and Israeli and Arab and Muslim conservatives are also scrutinized and compared, including think tanks, values system, corporative and political actors, attitudes and positions in the US and the Middle East, and similarities of approaches and recurrences, in order to reveal the sources of the influences exerted on Middle East foreign policy and the decision-making process.

Product Description (Volume II)

After analyzing the ideological and doctrinal struggle for power and influence in Volume I, ‘Volume II. Networks’ reveals how Bush’s Middle East policies were shaped by connections that were seldom highlighted or even made known to the public. Starting from the assumption that no foreign policy is possible without mutual interaction, Volume II analyses the interlocking connections between the Bush administration and its supporters – including key figures in the business community, lobbies, ethnic and religious networks, and the military-industrial complex – and the role these relationships played in sculpting foreign policy. This study offers for the first time a systemic analysis of the literature of the Arab-Israeli conflict from the perspective of US electoral capaigning, with comparative quantitative data analyses for the activities and influences of: pro-Israel, Arab American, Muslim American, entrepreneurial and military networks. Through this analysis, the decision-making process with respect to the Middle East is revealed.

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