This handbook book examines the regional and international dynamics of the Middle East. The 28 chapters include the world's leading scholars of the Middle East and International Relations (IR) in order to make sense of the region.

Shahram Akbarzadeh is Research Professor in Middle East and Central Asian Politics at Deakin University and the Deputy Director (International) of the Alfred Deakin Institute for Citizenship and Globalisation, Deakin University (Australia). He held a prestigious ARC Future Fellowship (2012-2016) on the Role of Islam in Iran's Foreign Policy-making and recently completed a Qatar Foundation grant on Sectarianism in the Middle East.

1. The blurred line between state identity and realpolitik Shahram Akbarzadeh
2. Neoclassical Realism: Domestic Politics, Systemic Pressures, and the impact on Foreign Policy since the Arab Spring Thomas Juneau, Steven E. Lobell, Norrin Ripsman and Larry Rubin3. What constructivism? Vendulka Kubálková4. Historical sociology and Middle East international relations Ewan Stein
5. Subaltern Realism Meets the Arab World Mohammad Ayoob
6. Islam, Political Islam, and the State System Frederic Volpi
7. Don't Shoot the Elephant: Middle East stability after the Iranian nuclear deal Patricia Lewis and Karim Kemal
8. The Revolutionary Guard in Iranian Domestic and Foreign Power Politics Farzan Sabet and Roozbeh Safshekan
9. The Arab Uprising and Regional Power Struggle Raymond Hinnesbuch
10. U.S.-Israel Relations During the Obama Administration: Fundamental Shift, or Adaptation to New Realities? Robert Looney
11. Saudi Arabia and Iran: Islam and Foreign Policy in the Middle East Simon Mabon
12. The Arab Spring and Russian Foreign Policy toward the Middle East Mark Katz
13. China's Foray into the Middle East: from Ambivalence to Ambition? Michael Clarke
14. Oil Production, Innovation, and Politics in the Middle East Hamid E.Ali and Nesreen N. Al Anbar
15. Qatar: An Ambitious Small State Matthew Gray
16. GCC Foreign Policy: The Struggle for Consensus Kristian Coates Ulrichsen
17. EU Policy in the Middle East: Shifting Dynamics Christian Koch
18. Old and New Challenges for Ethnic and Religious Minorities in the Middle East Jordi Tejel
19. UNSCR 1325: A Framework for Women's Peace Activism in the Middle East? Sophie Richter-Devroe
20. The demise of the Arab strongman? Authoritarianism and the future of the Middle East Pietro Marzo and Francesco Cavatorta
21. State breakdown and its beneficiaries: the Kurds Denise Natali
22. Strategic decision-making of Middle Eastern armed non-state actors Wietse van den Berge
23. Islamic State: Aberration, or Accelerant of System-wide Changes to Come? Michael S. Smith II
24. The Iran-Hizbullah relationship in the Arab Spring Shahram Akbarzadeh
25. The Muslim Brotherhood and An-Nahda after the Arab Spring: a Failed Project Alison Pargeter
26. Transition and the Arab Spring George Joffe
27. Shock absorption Palestinian-Israel status quo 2009-17 Philip Leech-Ngo
28. The rise and fall of Turkey in the Arab Spring Paul Williams