The Middle East: A Political Dictionary (Clio Dictionaries in Political Science) - Softcover

Ziring (political science, Western Michigan Univ.) has written a very useful reference work that is more than the usual dictionary of names, terms, places, and events. After each entry, the author provides an interpretive section, analyzing the significance of the entry just described. In Section 1, the author deals with the political geography of the Middle East. Section 2 deals with Islam and its sociopolitical importance in the region. While this section contains a good deal of useful information, it is marred by a few errors. For example, Ziring states that the Shia clergy are called mullahs , whereas the Sunni clerics are referred to as the ulema . In fact, both Shia and Sunni clerics are referred to as the ulema . The term mullah is a more generic and sometimes condescending term for the members of the Iranian clergy. Section 3 covers the increasingly important concept of ethnicity and its impact on the political culture of the Middle East. Section 4 is designed to describe various political parties and movements in the Middle East. In Section 5, Ziring seeks to explain the genesis and development of the Arab-Israeli conflict. Sections 6 and 7 deal with diplomacy and conflict, respectively. They cover such topics as the Middle East Peace Conference in Madrid and the two Gulf wars. Recommended for public and academic libraries, though more detailed coverage can be found in The Middle East and North Africa, 1992 (Europa: Gale, 1991).
- Nader Entessar, Spring Hill Coll., Mobile, Ala.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.