Description
Book SynopsisThe Arab Uprisings have brought renewed attention to the role of the military in the MENA region, where they are either the backbone of regime power or a crucial part of patronage networks in political systems. This collection of essays from international experts examines the economic interests of armed actors ranging from military businesses in Egypt, Turkey, Iran, Pakistan, Jordan, Sudan, and Yemen to retired military officers' economic endeavors and the web of funding of non-state armed groups in Syria and Libya. Due to the combined power of business and arms, the military often manages to incorporate or quell competing groups and thus, to revert achievements of revolutionary movements.
Trade ReviewThe first truly comparative analysis of the political economy of armed forces in the MENA, this fine collection reveals militarization’s widespread, profound and devastating consequences for the region’s development. -- Robert Springborg, professor (ret.) of National Security Affairs, Naval Postgraduate School
Armed forces in the Middle East and North Africa have become industrial, agricultural and commercial enterprises as much as they are instruments of political coercion and national defense, yet we know very little about the dynamics and mechanics of military-run businesses across the region. This collection of conceptually informed, up-to-date surveys raises the bar for scholarship on the economics of military governance from Libya to Pakistan, Turkey to Yemen. Recognized experts who have undertaken path-breaking fieldwork offer factual information and interpretive insights that can be found nowhere else. -- Fred H. Lawson, author of Global Security Watch Syria
Table of ContentsList of Figures and Tables Foreword Acknowledgments List of Abbreviations Introduction: Political Economy of the Military and Non-State Armed Groups in the Middle East and North Africa, by Elke Grawert Chapter 1: Egypt’s Adaptable Officers: Business, Nationalism, and Discontent, by Zeinab Abul-Magd Chapter 2: Businessmen in Boots – Pakistan’s Entrepreneurial Military, by Ayesha Siddiqa Chapter 3: The Conglomerate of the Turkish Military (OYAK) and the Dynamics of Turkish Capitalism, by İsmet Akça Chapter 4: All the Sepah's Men: Iran's Revolutionary Guards in Theory and Practice, by Kevan Harris Chapter 5: Jordan’s Military-Industrial Sector: Maintaining Institutional Prestige in the Era of Neoliberalism, by Shana Marshall Chapter 6: Civil-Military Relations in Sudan: Negotiating Political Transition in a Turbulent Economy, by Atta El-Battahani Chapter 7: Patronage Politics in Transition: Political and Economic Interests of the Yemeni Armed Forces, by Adam C. Seitz Chapter 8: Libya’s Tentative State Rebuilding: Militias' “Moral Economy,” Violence, and Financing (In)Security, by Philippe Droz-Vincent Chapter 9: Syria’s Army, Militias, and Non-State Armed Groups: Ideology, Funding, and Shifting Landscape, by Sherifa Zuhur Conclusion and Outlook, by Elke Grawert Appendix A: Glossary of Arab Words B: Maps C: Tables D: References List of Contributors Index
