This work examines the issues, problems and processes found in the politics of the region in an analytical framework. It looks at particular events which have cut across the region both chronologically and geographically. It also focuses on a number of changes in ideologies, patterns of authority and political economies of Middle-Eastern states. Topics subjected to detailed analysis include the increasing demands for democracy and human rights, expanding Islamic activism; responses by governments to both these trends, substandard economic growth and the region's high-level militarization.