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MERIA NEWS TABLE OF CONTENTS
IMPORTANT NEWS: MERIA JOURNAL #4 TABLE OF CONTENTS
MERIA LINK LIST SOON GOING ON LINE
1. ANNOUNCEMENTS OF MEETINGS, CONFERENCES, LECTURES
2. RESEARCH QUERIES--PLEASE HELP
3. NEW PUBLICATIONS OF INTEREST
5. FREE SUBSCRIPTIONS TO E-MAIL PUBLICATIONS
6. FUNDING/SCHOLARSHIPS/FELLOWSHIPS
7. MERIA BOOKS: ORDER FOR FREE
8. DISCOUNTS FOR MERIA READERS
IMPORTANT NEWS: MERIA JOURNAL #4 TABLE OF CONTENTS
| Post | Author | Title (shortened) |
| 1 | Laurie Mylroie, | "Iraq's Weapons of Mass Destruction and the 1997 Gulf Crisis" |
| 2 | Ely Karmon, | "Radical Islamic Groups in Turkey" |
| 3 | Stuart Cohen, | "Portrait of the New Israeli Soldier" |
| 4 | Peter Jones, | "New Directions in Middle East Deterrence" |
| 5 | Burcak Keskin, | "Political Participation of Turkish Women" |
| 6 | Barry Rubin, | "Israel, The PA and the Arab States" |
| 7 | Bruce Maddy-Weitzman | "Middle East States in the 21st Century" |
PROPOSED SEMINARS: MEMBERS INVITED
The MERIA seminar on Turkish foreign policy has been successfully launched with about 20 members. Bulent Aras, currently a Visiting Scholar at Indiana University, has been appointed as Managing Director of this project, with Kemal Kirisci and Barry Rubin as directors. Inquiries on the seminar should be sent to Bulent Aras: abulent@indiana.edu
MERIA is seriously considering launching additional seminars, particularly on Palestinian politics and/or on U.S. Middle East policy. Those interested in participating or seeking more information, please write: rubinb@ashur.cc.biu.ac.il MERIA seminars are high-level, closed discussion lists for experts wishing intensive exchanges on specific topics with a limited number of others.
The first MERIA News of 1998 will include an extensive list of events and calls for papers during that year. To make sure your events are included, please send announcements to: besa@ashur.cc.biu.ac.il
MERIA LINK LIST SOON GOING ON LINE
We've all increasingly used the world wide web and link guides in our research. If done properly, researchers can now do in a single day what previously might have taken two weeks. Our goal is not to be computer experts as an end in itself. We want simple, user-friendly places that the maximum number of people can use.
But there are several problems with these tools which make them more wasteful than helpful for our limited time:
--Slow loading. Poor design or lavish graphics make us lose patience. Next!
--Quantity over quality. A desire to have the largest number of links means the inclusion of many poor-quality and repetitive links.
--Repetition. Many sites have the same material.
--Links without end. Many sites are just links to other links sites. Of course, we are looking for substance: articles, facts, documents, statements, which are of use to our research, teaching, and understanding.
--Poor organization and lack of preview. The name of a linked site does not tell us anything about what's in it.
--Lack of focus. A site on strategic, international affairs, culture, or other subjects may be interesting but we want to know if it has something of use to Middle East topics.
Of course, providing a link to a site does not signify agreement with all the ideas expressed on that site--or to the many texts and places to which it, in turn, is linked. Censorship on such matters must be firmly rejected as both intellectually counterproductive and as assaults on academic freedom.
With all these thoughts in mind, we have tried to create a highly focused, user friendly link site that will help you in your work on the modern Middle East.
It should be remembered that most sites are the work of one or a few individuals, often working without compensation who are devoted to their subject. Finding engines like Yahoo are remarkable tools. There are some especially fine sites, to cite only a handful, Arabnet, Columbia University's bibliography collection, the Israel Foreign Ministry and its documentation on the peace process, the Muslim Students Association with its wide range of opinion pieces, and the universities of Texas and Utah with their large resource directories. There are other sites--the Oman Studies Center comes to mind along with a number of home pages--which are superb due to a single person's efforts. Some good journalistic sites let us gather the latest news (and past reportage in archives) in several languages. Innovative projects like Gulf 2000 and CIAO (both at Columbia University) provide detailed data to more selective readerships.
We hope the MERIA site will be one of the sites you find most helpful.
1. ANNOUNCEMENTS OF MEETINGS, CONFERENCES, LECTURES
November 17, 1997, Middle East Institute, Washington DC, "The Challenges to Democratization in the Arab World, 12:00-1:30 pm,
Saad Eddin Ibrahim, professor of Sociology at the American
University in Cairo: programs@mideasti.org
November 22-25, 1997, MESA Annual meeting, San Francisco: write: mesa@ccit.arizona.edu
November 25-27, 1997, Zaghouan (Tunis): "Methodologie de l'histoire des mouvements nationaux au Maghreb," Fondation Temimi, BP 50, 1118 Zaghouan, Tunisia.
November 24-28, 1997: Wilton Park, UK, "Cultural Diplomacy at the Crossroads," How cultural diplomacy works in the age of the Internet: http://britain.nyc.ny.us/bis/misc/wilton/cal97.htm
December 4-6, 1997, DAVO [German Middle East Studies Association) Congress, Hamburg: "Vernetzung: lokal, regional, global." fx +49-40-44 14 84.
December 5-7, 1997, Aarhus, Denmark: "Worlds and Perspectives on the Middle East Today" kba@cdr.dk
December 9, 1997: "The Palestinian Intifada and Its International Implications," Birzeit University, write: Roger Heacock, rheacock@arts.birzeit.edu
December 10-11, 1997, Centre of Globalisation, Warwick University, UK, "Globalisation versus Regionalisation: New Trends in World Politics. http://www.csv.warwick.ac.uk/PAIS/pgconf.htm
December 13-16, 1997, Bir Zeit University, "Palestinian Education: Historical contemporary status and a vision for the future." fx +972-2-9986174.
December 16-20, 1997, Granada, Spain, "The role of qadis in Islamic law: theory and practice". 2nd Joseph Schacht conference. M. Fierro, CSIC, fx +34-1-369 0940
Until December 19, 1997, Brunei Gallery, London: "Looking East", a display of European literature and art depicting life in the Middle East.
January 3-5, 1998, Chicago: ME Economic Association, 17th annual meeting, write: mcinar@luc.edu
January 8-11, 1998, Seattle, Annual conference, American Historical Association. "Comparative history," details: http://web.gmu.edu/chnm/aha
April 3-5, 1998, Binghamton University, SUNY, "Aspects of Contemporary North Africa: Islamic Assertion, Ethnic Diversity, and the State." For information: ldatto@binghamton.edu
A Maghrebi Arts Festival is also planned for April 4-18, see: http://maghreb.net/writers/festival.htm
April 17-18, 1998, Binghamton, SUNY: "Recovering the Past," including panels on Maghrebi literature written in French. http://www.binghamton.edu/academics/bulletin/romance.html
Binghamton University is planning a conference focusing on Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Egypt and the Sudan relating to Historical Dimension of Conflicts in North Africa: State, Ethnicity, and Colonial Intrusion; Islamic Reassertion, Women, State and Society; the Role of Language, Literature and the Arts; and the Impact of Exiles, Transnational Migrants and Foreigners on North African Society.
Note: A number of the above items are taken from the Nordic Society for Middle Eastern Studies superb bulletin board at http://www.hf.uib.no/smi/nsm/ as well from other sources.
2. RESEARCH QUERIES--PLEASE HELP WITH YOUR OWN RESPONSES
Perhaps you have some additional suggestions for the queries presented below. Thanks to all those who have responded with help.
A. New Queries
Query Number 12: Jill Crystal, Auburn University
I have a research query. I am looking for any work on the history, current organization, and dynamics of the police in any state in the Middle East.
Query Number 13: Canan Aslan, McGill University, is writing a dissertation on political parties using the Israeli Labor Party in the 1977-1997 era as a case.
Suggestions: among items which come to mind are the Israel at the Polls book series done regarding all elections of the last 20 years; Yossi Beilin's published dissertation; the work of Asher Arian; numerous articles in the (now defunct) Jerusalem Quarterly magazine; biographies and autobiographies of Yitzhak Rabin and Shimon Peres; Efraim Inbar, War and Peace in Israeli Politics: Labor Party Positions on National Security (Lyne Rienenr 1991); Neil Lockery's, The Israeli Labour Party in the Shadow of the Likud, Ithaca Press, 1997.
B. Responses
Re: Query Number 10 from Navin Raj on the causes and consequences of Iraq's invasion of Kuwait
--Jill Crystal, Auburn University: I suggest the decision was rooted in part in a serious misreading of domestic Kuwaiti politcs - one that parallels the simlar Iraqi misreading in 1938. Jill Crystal, Oil and Politics in the Gulf (Cambridge: 1995) 1995 paperbacl version contains a couple new chapters updating the 1990 edition) and in my Westview book on Kuwait.
--Adel Darwish: On Saddam's motives, ambitions weapons' systems, and how diplomatic signals from other countries misled him, see Adel Darwish and Gregory Alexander, Unholy Babylon: The Secret History of Saddam's War, (Victor Gollancz London 1990& Jan 1991), note that the British is superior to the American addition.
See also Amatzia Baram, "The American Input into the Iraqi Decision-Making 1988-1990", in David Lesch (ed), The US and the Middle East: A Historical Reassessment (Westview, 1996).
4 Query Number 11, by Randal Slavens on "Impediments to Regional Economic Integration in the Middle East."
--Adel Darwish, The Independent newspaper: Also look at water conflicts within this category.. look at : Water Wars: Coming Conflicts in the Middle East, by John Bulloch & Adel Darwish, Victor Gollancz, London 1993
--Ephraim Kleiman. Hebrew University: On barriers to economic integration in the Middle East, see also Hisham Awartani's and my paper, "Economic Interactions among the Participants in the Peace Process," Middle East Journal, Vol. 51, No. 2, Spring 1997.
--Gerd Nooneman, Lancaster University: See an extensive study I directed for the European Commission, published as G. Nonneman (ed,), The Middle East and Europe: The Search for Stability and Integration (London: Federal Trust, 1993) ISBN 0-90157341-8. "Regional Integration" is the key theme of its 30 Chapters (plus appendices) and a summary overview chapter, "Problems facing cooperation and integration attempts in the Middle East,"
3. NEW PUBLICATIONS OF INTEREST
The Journal of Refugee Studies (Vol. 10, No. 3) is a special issue: Palestinians in Lebanon, from a 1996 conference. Chapters include studies of the roles of the UN, the PLO, Arab-Israeli peace process, aid or resettlement efforts, women's situation, and socio-economic factors. Price: 20 Pounds Sterling for institutions; 10 Pounds for individuals, plus mailing charges. For details: Centre for Lebanese Studies, shehadi@sable.ox.ac.uk).
Mark Katz, Revolutions and Revolutionary Waves (St. Martin's Press) compares Marxist-Leninist, Arab nationalist (1945-1967), and Islamic fundamentalist revolutionary waves, relationships among revolutionary regimes, analyzes of Islamic revolutions. $45.00 but 20% discount to MERIA readers, write: mkatz@gmu.edu.
Columbia International Affairs Online (CIAO) is designed to be the most comprehensive source for theory and research in international affairs. Currently, fifty institutions in international affairs from around the world are contributing to CIAO. These leading institutions contribute to CIAO in the form of working papers, conference proceedings, journals and books. Over 10,000 pages are currently housed on CIAO, all searchable by subject, author, sponsoring institution and keywords. Visit CIAO at http://www.ciaonet.org to learn more about this important research tool and to sign up for a free trial. For more information on subscribing, please contact Claire Wyckoff cw204@columbia.edu. For more information on how you or your institution can become a participating contributor to this project, please contact the Project Editor, Lincoln Ellis lse6@columbia.edu.
List of Francophone Maghrebi novels in English translation:
http://maghreb.net/writers/Engtran.htm. Requests additional books to include or comprehensive bibliography of such works. Also looking for examples of Arabic Maghrebi Literature in English Translation. Write: Michael A. Toler bf20307@binghamton.edu
5. FREE SUBSCRIPTIONS TO E-MAIL PUBLICATIONS
Email lists from Bir Zeit University:
Human rights information: pr@admin.birzeit.edu
What's new on Birzeit's website and developments in the Palestinian Web community: webmaster@birzeit.edu
6. FUNDING/SCHOLARSHIPS/FELLOWSHIPS
Israel Foundation Trustees, Research Awards & Writing Fellowships for Doctoral Students in Social Sciences. Deadline, January 1998. Fund for Research Grants, research work in the field. $4,000-$7,000 for up to 2 years. Fund for Writing/Thesis Scholarship, for writing and completing dissertation. Up to nine months at about NIS 3,280/month. Deadline: January 11, 1998. Write Israel Foundation Trustees, 11 Mapu Street, Tel Aviv 61034. Fax: 522-1957.
Tami Steinmetz Center for Peace Research, deadline December 31, 1997. Call for proposals, stressing multi-disciplinary research in the field of peace studies. In previous years, the Center has funded research in the range of $7,500 to $10,000 annually. For more information: http://www.tau.ac.il/peace/index.html
Order free MERIA books from our innovative publishing house, collecting articles from MERIA Journal, MERIA News, and other materials into electronic books which are updated and expanded over time. [next planned revision: December 1997.] To order free copies or submit proposed chapters or projects: besa@ashur.cc.biu.ac.il.
A. MIDDLE EAST ECONOMICS
Prof. Eliyahu Kanovsky, "The Impact of Domestic and International Politics."
Dr. Paul Rivlin, "Leadership and the Economy in the Arab World"
B. ISLAMIC REVOLUTIONARY MOVEMENTS
Dr. Bruce Maddy-Weitzman, "The Islamic Challenge in North Africa."
Dr. Joseph Kostiner, "State, Islam and Opposition in Saudi Arabia: The Post Desert-Storm Phase."
Dr. Eyal Zisser, "Hizballah in Lebanon: At the Crossroads"
Dr. A. Nizar Hamzeh, "Islamism in Lebanon: A Guide" (Courtesy of Middle East Quarterly)
C. CONTEMPORARY ISRAELI POLITICS
Prof. Joel Peters, "Israel Under Netanyahu: The Current Situation in Israeli Politics."
Prof. Gregory Mahler, "Israel's New Electoral System: Effects on Policy and Politics."
Prof. Laura Zittrain Eisenberg: "Israel's Lebanon Policy"
Prof. Kenneth Stein, "Egyptian-Israeli Relations, 1973-1997"
D. TURKISH POLITICS AND FOREIGN POLICY
Prof. Bilge Criss, "Turkish Foreign Policy Toward the Middle East."
Prof. Kemal Kirisci, "Post Cold-War Turkish Security and the Middle East."
Prof. Barry Rubin, "Notes on Turkey-Israel Relations."
Prof. Ersin Kalaycioglu, "The Logic of Contemporary Turkish Politics"
Dr. Konuralp Pamukcu, "Water-Related Cooperation Between Turkey and Israel."
E. PERSIAN GULF SECURITY ISSUES
Darius Bazargan, "Interview on Iraqi Weapons Monitoring with Terrence Taylor, UNSCOM inspector for biological weapons."
Turki al-Hamad, "Imperfect Alliances: Will the Gulf Monarchies Work Together?"
Dariush Bazargan, "Iran: Politics, The Military and Gulf Security"
F. CENTRAL ASIA AND THE MIDDLE EAST
Dr. Bulent Aras, "U.S.-Central Asian Relations: A View from Turkey."
Prof. Gareth M. Winrow, "Turkey and the Newly Independent States of Central Asia and the Transcaucasus."
8. DISCOUNTS FOR MERIA READERS
We ask magazines and publishers for discounts to MERIA readers. If you can offer such inducements, contact MERIA. Take advantage of benefits from being a MERIA reader:
A. The WASHINGTON INSTITUTE FOR NEAR EAST POLICY offers MERIA readers 20 percent discount for the order of five copies or more of its publications. Mention MERIA! info@washingtoninstitute.org
B. MIDDLE EAST QUARTERLY: offers MERIA readers a 20% discount on 1-year subscriptions: $30 for individuals ($7.50 off regular rate); $40 for institutions ($10 off regular rate). For addresses outside U.S., airmail delivery costs $20 more; surface mail, $5 more. Write MEQ, AM&M, PO Box 1897, Lawrence, KS 66044-8897, USA; e-mail: dforio@allenpress.com, or call 1-800-627-0629.
C. Lawrence Joffe, KEESINGS GUIDE TO THE MIDDLE EAST PEACE PROCESS, 10% discount on the 45 pound sterling price. Write Customer Services Manager, Liz Godden: lizg@pearson-pro.com.
D. Israeli Perspectives, edited by Neill Lochery, 10% discount to MERIA readers on $60 annual subscription rate. Includes news plus an academic study, chronology, press summaries. For details and sample copy: neilllochery@msn.com
E. Neil Lochery, The Israeli Labour Party in the Shadow of the Likud, Ithaca Press, 10 percent discount on the price of 35 pounds sterling. To order quote code 10046. Add $3.50 for postage. Write: Garnet Publishers, 8 Southern Ct, South Street, Reading, Berkshire rg1 4qs England.