Description
About the Author
Florence Gaub is a senior analyst at the European Union Institute for Security Studies, where she heads the Middle East programme. Her research focuses on conflict, war and armed forces in the Arab world.
Reviews
A must-read book for all those seeking to understand the critical role of armies in the rise and fall of states in the Arab world and the critical role that they have played historically and since the uprisings of 2011, written by one of the leading experts on the subject. -- Paul Salem, Vice President for Policy and Research, the Middle East Institute, Washington DC
Florence Gaub has produced a masterful analysis of the complex and critical relationship between Arab leaders and their militaries, a severely understudied topic. Her examination of these militaries' political role should be read by anyone seeking to understand the Arab world -- its history, the catalysts for the Arab uprisings, and its trajectory for the future. -- Mara E. Karlin, PhD, Former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense
Florence Gaub has truly grasped the intricate military and political balance that continues to define the Arab World today. How can we find a middle ground between building strong armies capable of shielding a region marred by instability, while also embracing the necessary reforms to attain more inclusive and peaceful societies? This is but one of the many questions that she presses us to contemplate in this very well documented book. -- General Tannous Mouawad, Lebanese Army (Ret'd)
The political trajectory of the Middle East and North Africa after World War II looks on the face of it to have been a series of military coups, revolutions, civil wars and failing states. Indeed, the Arab world seems particularly prone to military involvement in politics -- Why is this? Where does it happen? And why does it sometimes not? Florence Gaub gives clear answers to these questions, analyses perfectly the role of the militaries, civilian governments and the people in almost each of the Arab countries, and draws convincing conclusions. An excellent book. -- Wolf-Dieter Loeser, former General, German Army and Commandant of the NATO Defense College
This book is a must-read for diplomatic and military planners across the globe who are concerned about stability in the Middle East, a region with no shortage of military coups, revolutions, civil wars and failing states. Understanding the foundations of civil-military triad -- regional civilian leaders' legitimacy, Arab military capabilities, and citizen threat perception -- is a critical requirement for the pursuit of regional stability. This book provides an historical portrait of why Arab armies get involved in the political space and provides policy recommendations for necessary reforms. -- Paula Broadwell, former Deputy Director of the Fletcher School Counter-Terrorism Center
Book Information
ISBN 9781849046480
Author Florence Gaub
Format Hardback
Page Count 256
Imprint C Hurst & Co Publishers Ltd
Publisher C Hurst & Co Publishers Ltd