Volume 6, No. 4 - December 2002 AMMAN 1970, A MEMOIR By Norvell De Atkine This is the first in a series of memoirs on the Middle East in the 1960s and 1970s. Norvell de Atkine was one of the first Middle East experts trained by the U.S. military. He attended the American University in Beirut, became a U.S. military attache in Jordan, and spent many years working in the Arab world. I had just completed my studies at the American University of Beirut (AUB) in 1970, as part of … [Read more...]
Observations from Azerbaijan
Volume 6, No. 4 - December 2002 Observations from Azerbaijan By Cameron S. Brown This article examines several major political and cultural issues with which the citizens of Azerbaijan are currently grappling. It considers the role of the Nogorno-Karabakh conflict and its aftermath, irredentist claims made by some on Azerbaijani portions of Iran, the place of women in society, and the role of oil. Present in all these topics, however, is the common theme of how Turkish, … [Read more...]
The Political Economy of Middle East Terrorism
Volume 6, No. 4 - December 2002 THE POLITICAL ECONOMY OF MIDDLE EAST TERRORISM By Matthew A. Levitt Political terrorism has long been a key feature of Middle Eastern politics given the high degree of conflict, relative ineffectiveness of direct military means, ideological rationalizations, and willingness of states to sponsor such activities. The aftermath of the September 11, 2020 attacks on the United States and the subsequent American war against terrorism have focused … [Read more...]
VOL. 6 No. 4 - December 2002

VOL. 6 No. 4 - December 2002 VOL. 6 No. 4 - December 2002 Editor and Publisher: Professor Barry RubinAssistant Editors: Cameron Brown, Elisheva Rosman-Stollman, Joy Pincus, Ehud Waldoks MERIA Journal Previous Issues TABLE OF CONTENTS Get the Acrobat Format of MERIA Cover Page Post Author Title (regular version) Adobe Acrobat Version The Iraqi Opposition … [Read more...]
The November 2002 Elections and Turkey’s New Political Era
Volume 6, No. 4 - December 2002 The November 2002 Elections and Turkey's New Political Era By Soner Cagaptay The November 2002 elections brought a landslide victory for the Justice and Development Party (AKP) which received almost two-thirds� of the parliamentary seats with 34.2 percent of the vote. This article analyzes how this dramatic development affects Turkish politics and society, and what the new government�s policies are … [Read more...]
Turkey’s November 2002 Elections: A New Beginning?
TURKEY'S NOVEMBER 2002 ELECTIONS: A NEW BEGINNING? Volume 6, No. 4 - December 2002 TURKEY'S NOVEMBER 2002 ELECTIONS: A NEW BEGINNING? By Ali Carkoglu Turkey's November 2002 elections ended with a stunning victory for the new Justice and Development Party. Since only one other party reached the 10 percent minimum necessary to hold seats in parliament, the victorious group was left with close to a two-thirds' majority. … [Read more...]
The Iraqi Oppostion’s Evolution: From Conflict to Unity?
The IRAQI OPPOSITION'S EVOLUTION: FROM CONFLICT TO UNITY? This article, based largely on official Iraqi documents, reviews the relationship between the Iraqi opposition and the regime of Saddam Hussein.(1) It also tries to place the opposition�s evolution and actions in the context of regional and international factors. Generally speaking, the opposition went through four phases since the current government took power in 1968. During the first phase, from 1968 to 1980, … [Read more...]