Published by the GLORIA Center,
Interdisciplinary Center, Herzliya

MERIA News - Volume 11, Issue 3 - May 2007
Total Circulation 23,500











All material copyright MERIA. You must credit if quoting and ask permission to reprint.

CONTENTS

NEWS FROM THE GLORIA CENTER

1. PUBLICATIONS OF INTEREST

2. WEBSITES/GROUPS ONLINE

3. SUBSCRIPTIONS TO E-MAIL PUBLICATIONS

4. FUNDING/GRANTS/FELLOWSHIPS/WRITING AND EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES

5. RESEARCH QUERIES - PLEASE HELP

6. SCHOLARS AND AUTHORS ALERTS
(writers report on their books, articles, and activities)

7. ANNOUNCEMENTS OF MEETINGS, CONFERENCES, LECTURES

NEWS FROM THE GLORIA CENTER

The Truth about Syria by Barry Rubin
Barry Rubin, The Truth about Syria (Palgrave-Macmillan, 2007). 304 pages. $24.95. ISBN: 1-4039-8273-2. In all the world's and especially the Middle East's biggest issues, Syria plays a central role. This book provides a comprehensive explanation of Syria's regime, interests, policies, and society. In turn, Syria provides a model for understanding the Arab and Muslim worlds today. While the Syrian regime poses as being desirous of peace and engagement with the West, in fact, its institutions, ideology, propaganda, and activities go in the exact opposite direction. To survive, the minority-dominated, dictatorial, and economically incompetent government needs radicalism, instability, anti-Americanism, Lebanon as a strategic and economic asset, and Israel as a scapegoat. This book explains the countries' policies and problems in a systematic way. To order, click here. For a review copy, contact: Ellis.Trevor@stmartins.com. For publicity information, contact: william.smith@stmartins.com.

Table of Contents for MERIA Journal, Volume 11, Number 2 (June 2007)
The June 2007 issue of MERIA Journal will be out shortly and sent to all subscribers. The following articles will appear:

    1. Ami Gluska, "Israel's Decision to Go to War, June 2, 1967;"
    2. Judith Colp Rubin, "Lagging Far Behind: Women in the Middle East;"
    3. Ana Belén Soage, "An Egyptian Dissident's Fate: Faraj Fawda and the Cost of Free Speech;"
    4. Nimrod Raphaeli, "Syria's Fragile Economy;"
    5. Nathan Thrall, "How the Reagan Administration Taught Iran the Wrong Lessons;"
    6. Liora Hendleman-Baavur, "Promises and Perils of Weblogistan: Online Media and Iran;"
    7. Jonathan Spyer, "Europe and Iraq: Test Case for the Common Foreign and Security Policy;"
    8. Barry Rubin, "Comparing Three Muslim Brotherhoods: Syria, Jordan, Egypt."

Table of Contents for Turkish Studies, Vol. 8, No. 2 (June 2007)
The upcoming June 2007 special issue of Turkish Studies will focus on: "New Directions in Turkish Politics," with Sabri Sayarı as guest editor. For more information, visit: http://tsi.idc.ac.il/ts/ts.html. The following articles will appear:

    1. Ergun Özbudun, "Democratization Reforms in Turkey;"
    2. Sabri Sayarı, "Towards A New Turkish Party System?;"
    3. Sencer Ayata & Ayşe-Güneş Ayata, "The Center-Left Parties in Turkey;"
    4. Ersin Kalaycioğlu, "Politics of Conservatism in Turkey;"
    5. Ali Carkoğlu, "The Nature of the Left-Right Ideological Self-Placement in the Turkish Context;"
    6. Nora Onar, "Kemalists, Islamists, and Liberals: Shifting Patterns of Confrontation and Consensus, 2002-2006;"
    7. Peride Kaleağasi Blind, "A New Actor in Turkish Democratization: Labor Unions."

Turkish Studies Journal: Call for Papers, Subscriptions, Book Review Notification
Turkish Studies invites submissions for forthcoming issues. The journal is a peer-reviewed and is published three times a year (March, June, September) by Taylor & Francis and is produced by the GLORIA Center's Turkish Studies Institute. Articles may deal with any aspect regarding the modern era of the Turkish Republic, including the fields of political science, international relations, history, economics, sociology, and other relevant topics. Submissions should be between 5,000-7,500 words and should include a 100-word abstract, as well as the full title and affiliation of the author. To submit a manuscript for consideration, please email it as a Word document to: profbarryrubin@yahoo.com. For more information and to view our style guide, please visit the Turkish Studies Institute's website at: http://tsi.idc.ac.il/ts/submissions.html.
To notify Turkish Studies of a new or forthcoming book for review, please contact: amelman@gmail.com. To subscribe, contact: tf.enquiries@informa.com or visit: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals/subscription.asp. For more information regarding the publications, activities, and resources of the GLORIA Center's Turkish Studies Institute, visit: http://tsi.idc.ac.il.

The Israeli Military and the Origins of the 1967 War: Government, Armed Forces and Defense Policy 1963-67
Ami Gluska, The Israeli Military and the Origins of the 1967 War: Government, Armed Forces and Defense Policy 1963-67, (Routledge, 2006). 324 pages. ISBN: 0415392e54. The book is part of the Middle Eastern Military Studies series edited by Barry Rubin. The author discusses the effect of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) on Israel's defense policy between 1963-1967 against the backdrop of the developments in the Middle East. In addition, he describes in detail the decision-making process leading to the Arab-Israeli Six Day War in June 1967 through the prism of the relations between the military and political echelons. He shows how the Six Day War was a watershed event in the Middle-Eastern conflict and had a profound effect on the development of the Palestinian problem and the character of the State of Israel over the past four decades. For details and to order, click here.

1. PUBLICATIONS OF INTEREST

A. Books

Lars Erslev Andersen, Innocence Lost: Islamism and the Battle over Values and World Order (University Press of Southern Denmark, 2007). 194 pages. For further information and to order, click here.

Isabella Ginor and Gideon Remez, Foxbats Over Dimona: The Soviets' Nuclear Gamble in the Six-Day War (Yale University Press, 2007). 304 pages. Cloth: $26.00. ISBN: 9780300123173. For further information and to order, click here.

Gordon M. Hahn, Russia's Islamist Threat (New Haven and London: Yale University Press, 2007). 368 pages. Cloth: $35.00. ISBN: 9780300120776. For further information, visit: http://yalepress.yale.edu/yupbooks/reviews.asp?isbn=9780300120776.

Tami Amanda Jacoby, Bridging the Barrier: Israeli Unilateral Disengagement (Ashgate Press, 2007). 172 pages. HB: $99.95. ISBN: 0 7546 4969 5. For further information and to order, click here.

Suna Kili, The Atatürk Revolution: A Paradigm of Modernization, 2nd edition (İsbank Culture Publishing, 2007). 362 pages. ISBN: 978 975-458-376-2. For further information, please visit: http://www.iskultur.com.tr.

Ben Orbach, Live from Jordan: Letters Home from My Journey Through the Middle East (AMACOM/American Management Association, 2007) HB: $14.96. For more information and to order, click here.

Pieternella van Doorn-Harder, Women Shaping Islam: Reading the Qu'ran in Indonesia (University of Illinois Press, 2006). 328 pages. Cloth, ISBN 0-252-03077-X. $75.00 Paper, ISBN 0-252-07317-7. $27.00. While much of the Muslim world excludes women from the domain of religious authority, Indonesia's two leading Muslim organizations--Muhammadiyah and Nahdlatul Ulama (NU)--have created enormous networks led by women who interpret sacred texts and exercise powerful religious influence. The author explores the work of these contemporary women leaders, examining their attitudes toward the rise of radical Islamists; the actions of the authoritarian Soeharto regime; women's education and employment; birth control and family planning; and sexual morality. Ultimately, van Doorn-Harder reveals the many ways in which Muslim women leaders understand and utilize Islam as a significant force for societal change; one that ultimately improves the economic, social, and psychological condition of women in Indonesian society. For more information and to order, click here.

B. Journals, Newsletter, Papers

Sufyan Alissa, The Challenge of Economic Reform in the Arab World: Toward More Productive Economies. Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, May 2007. To read, please visit: http://www.carnegieendowment.org/files/cmec_1_econ_reform_final.pdf.

Mehdi Khalaji, "Through the Veil: The Role of Broadcasting in U.S. Public Diplomacy toward Iranians." The Washington Institute, Policy Focus, No. 68 (April 2007). For a free PDF version, visit: http://www.washingtoninstitute.org/templateC04.php?CID=271.

Suna Kili, "Kimlik Sorunsalı" ["Identity Problem"], Turk Kulturu ve Kimligi [Turkish Culture and Identity]. (Istanbul: Istanbul Kultur Universitesi, Mas Matbaacilik, 2006), pp. 22-37.

Suna Kili, "Cumhuriyet Nedir?" ["What is a Republic?"], Supplement of Cumhuriyet, October 29, 2006, pp. 4-6.

2. WEBSITES/GROUPS ONLINE

A. General

"Middle East." Presented as both an interactive website and a two-sided full color poster, this comprehensive overview of maps, charts, and satellite imagery profiles 25 countries--integrating core data on history, oil and water issues, social conditions, economics, politics, and military power. The second site includes 50 separate maps and graphs that illustrate the history and current conditions of Israel and Palestine, as well as one of the most highly detailed and current maps of Iraq available anywhere. Visit: http://www.theglobaleducationproject.org/mideast/.

3. SUBSCRIPTIONS TO E-MAIL PUBLICATIONS

4. FUNDING/GRANTS/FELLOWSHIPS/WRITING AND EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES

The Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs is pleased to announce the inaugural Middle East Studies Program Post-Doctoral Fellowship competition. The fellowship will support a recent Ph.D. working on a topic related to democratization in the Middle East. The fellowship will be one academic year, August 15 - May 15, plus one summer month May 15 - June 15, 2008 (with strong potential to extend a second year). The fellow will receive a stipend of $27,800 plus fringe benefits that provide health benefits through August 15, 2008. The fellowship is not restricted based on discipline. For further information, please contact: mboroujerdi@maxwell.syr.edu.

5. RESEARCH QUERIES - PLEASE HELP

6. SCHOLARS AND AUTHORS ALERTS

7. ANNOUNCEMENTS OF MEETINGS, CONFERENCES, LECTURES

June 11-13, 2007. Ra'anana, Israel. Association for Israel Studies (AIS), 2007 annual conference. The conference, to be held at the Open University, will include both the usual conference sessions as well as the screening of Israeli films related to this year's conference general theme, "Israel as an Immigrant Society: Between the Melting Pot and Multiculturalism." There will also be an exhibition of contemporary Israeli-Jewish styled posters, curated especially for the conference. A half-day excursion is also planned for the second half of the last day of the conference (more details to come). For further information, contact: ilanbe@openu.ac.il.

July 25-26, 2007. London, England. The War on Terrorist Financing:  Forging an Effective International Architecture. This conference will bring together senior officials from the Treasury, Home Office, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA), and others, to explore the actions being taken to combat terrorist financing and the implications of the latest initiatives for the financial services sector and the City of London. For further information, please contact: rachelb@rusi.org.

MERIA Staff
*Serving Readers throughout the Middle East and in 100 Countries*
Publisher and Editor: Barry Rubin. Assistant Editors: Cameron Brown, Yeru Aharoni, Keren Ribo, Ronna Rubinstein. Turkish Representative: Ozgul Erdemli.
MERIA is indexed in the SOAS Library in London's Index Islamicus,
CSA Worldwide Political Science Abstracts and HW Wilson's Social Sciences Index.

MERIA is a project of the Global Research in International Affairs (GLORIA) Center,
Interdisciplinary Center, Herzliya. Site: http://meria.idc.ac.il. Email: meria@idc.ac.il.