Shahram Akbarzadeh is Research Professor of Middle East and Central Asian Politics and Convenor of Middle East Studies Forum (MESF) at the Alfred Deakin Institute for Citizenship and Globalization, Deakin University, Australia. He held the prestigious ARC Future Fellowship in 2013-2016.

1. Historical Context 2. The formation of the state of Israel 3. The Arab-Israeli wars 4. Palestinian politics: The failure of the 'peace-process' 5. Pan-Arabism and Islamism 6. The Iranian Revolution and pan-Shi'ism 7. Playground of the Superpowers 8. The US-led War on Terror 9. The Arab Uprising 10. The Syrian War 11. The Islamic State 12. Iran-US Relations and the Nuclear Deal 13. Shifting geopolitics in the Middle East

Continuing civil wars and humanitarian crises, coupled with a changing geopolitical dynamic, highlighted by increased Russian and Chinese presence in the Middle East, call for new thinking. What happens in the Middle East has major global repercussions.
This second edition of the ground-breaking textbook Middle East Politics and International Relations: Crisis Zone provides a comprehensive overview of contemporary Middle East politics. The book traces the roots of recent events across the region's modern history, enabling readers to appreciate both the significance of such events and the importance of history in influencing their outcomes. Structured chronologically, with updated stand-alone chapters containing history, context and contemporary analyses, this edition examines a series of interconnected themes and issues, including external intervention, political manifestations of Islam, the role of political authority, nationalism, self-determination and human rights.
The book provides a valuable teaching tool, both in its content and structure. Students will gain a deeper understanding of a changed Middle East and the evolving role of states and non-state actors in the region.