Making Sense of the Arab State

LSE Middle East Centre Podcasts

This event was the launch of 'Making Sense of the Arab State' edited by Steven Heydemann & Marc Lynch, and published by University of Michigan Press. No region in the world has been more hostile to democracy, more dominated by military and security institutions, or weaker on economic development and inclusive governance than the Middle East. Why have Arab states been so oppressively strong in some areas but so devastatingly weak in others? How do those patterns affect politics, economics, and society across the region? The state stands at the centre of the analysis of politics in the Middle East, but has rarely been the primary focus of systematic theoretical analysis. 'Making Sense of the Arab State' brings together top scholars from diverse theoretical orientations to address some of the most critically important questions facing the region today. The authors grapple with enduring questions such as the uneven development of state capacity, the failures of developmentalism and governance, the centrality of regime security and survival concerns, the excesses of surveillance and control, and the increasing personalisation of power. Meet the speakers Lisa Anderson is Special Lecturer and James T. Shotwell Professor of International Relations Emerita at the Columbia University School of International and Public Affairs. Anderson’s scholarly research has included work on state formation in the Middle East and North Africa; on regime change and democratisation in developing countries; and on social science, academic research and public policy both in the United States and around the world. Steven Heydemann is Ketcham Chair in Middle East Studies, Professor of Government, and Director of the Middle East Studies Program at Smith College. Heydemann is a political scientist who specializes in the comparative politics and the political economy of the Middle East. His interests include authoritarian governance, economic development, social policy, political and economic reform, and civil society. Salwa Ismail is a Professor of Politics, with a focus on the Middle East, at SOAS University of London. She is a member of the London Middle East Institute and the Center for Palestine Studies. She has authored multiple books, including 'The Rule of Violence: Subjectivity, Memory and Government in Syria' (2018); 'Political Life in Cairo’s New Quarters: Encountering the Everyday State' (2006) and 'Rethinking Islamist Politics: Culture, the State and Islamism' (2003). Marc Lynch is Professor of Political Science and International Affairs at George Washington University Elliott School of International Affairs; Director of the Project on Middle East Political Science (POMEPS); and Director of M.A. Middle East Studies. His recent books include 'The Political Science of the Middle East: Theory and Research After the Arab Uprisings' (edited with Sean Yom and Jillian Schwedler) and 'The New Arab Wars: Anarchy and Uprising in the Middle East'. This event will be chaired by Toby Dodge. Toby Dodge is a Professor in the Department of International Relations, LSE. He is also Kuwait Professor and Director of the Kuwait Programme, Middle East Centre. Toby's research concentrates on the evolution of the post-colonial state in the international system. The main focus of this work on the developing world is the state in the Middle East, specifically Iraq.