Alasdair Drysdale is the co-author of The Middle East and North Africa: A Political Geography and Syria and the Middle East Peace Process and the author of numerous book chapters, journal articles, and encyclopedia entries on the region. The winner of the Lindberg Prize for Outstanding Teaching at the University of New Hampshire, he has taught a course on the Middle East and North Africa for over forty years. He has been invited to offer testimony at hearings on the Middle East before a US Congressional subcommittee on Foreign Affairs and served on the editorial board of Arab World Geographer.
Table of Contents
Chapter 1. Introduction
Regional Definition and Nomenclature
The Region Defined in this Book
Global Importance
Organization of the Book
Chapter 2. Physical Environment
Physical Landscape
Climate
Climate Change
Chapter 3. Water
Dimensions of Water Stress
Water Sources
Chapter 4. Population
Spatial Distribution and Density
Human Impact
Population Data
Concepts and Processes
Family Planning
Aging
Chapter 5. Migration
Theories and Concepts
Overview of Major Flow
Countries Receiving Immigrants
Countries Mostly Providing Emigrants
Transit Migration
Forced Migration: Refugees
Human Trafficking
Chapter 6. Religion
Islam as a Global Faith
Links with Judaism and Christianity
Origins and Diffusion
Scriptures and Laws
Five Pillars
Sunnis and Shi'is
Other Dimensions of Diversity
Non-Muslims
Chapter 7. Language
Key Concepts
Afro-Asiatic Languages
Turkic Languages
Indo-European Languages
Chapter 8. Political Map
From Empires to States
From State to Nation
Boundaries
Regional Integration
Chapter 9. Economy
Offshore Interests
National Jurisdiction Offshore
Boundaries and Boundary Disputes
Access to the Sea
International Straits and Waterways
Chapter 10. Petroleum
Global Context
The Transportation of Oil
Evolution of Concessions and Ownership
Prices
The Regional Impact
Changing Sources of Global Energy
Chapter 11. A Summary: Subregions and States
The Northern Tier
The Central Middle East
Arabian Peninsula
The Nile Valley
Northwestern Africa
About the Author
