Chapter 1 The Middle East and North Africa: An Arena of Change and Transition?; Amin Saikal.- Part I The Arab World: Prospects and Challenges in Transition.- Chapter 2 Prospects for Democratization in the Middle East Post-Arab Spring; Fethi Mansouri.- Chapter 3 The Post-Uprising Arab World and the West: Mythology and Cultural Challenges; Robert Bowker.- Chapter 4 Political Economy Dynamics in the Arab Gulf States: Implications for Political Transition; Matthew Gray.- Part II Islamism and Sectarian Politics.- Chapter 5 Islam, Islamism, Muslims, and Governance: Beyond “Islam and Democracy”; Hisham Hellyer.- Chapter 6 The Saudi ‘Ulama and the Syrian Civil War; Raihan Ismail.- Chapter 7 Sectarian and Ethnic Politics: The Syrian Conflict; Minerva Nasser-Eddine.- Part III Iranian Domestic Politics and Regional Influence.- Chapter 8 Iran’s Syrian Foreign Policy Objectives; Shahram Akbarzadeh.- Chapter 9 Iran’s Relations with Afghanistan’s National Unity Government; Bruce Koepke.- Chapter 10 Iranian-Saudi Relations in a Changing Regional Environment; Amin Saikal.- Chapter 11 Conclusion; Amin Saikal.

“Presenting a balanced assessment of the geopolitical, internal, and religious challenges to political and social order of Arab counties as well as Iran, this volume of discerning analyses explains both the often unsettling fissures that have opened and underlying continuities.  The Middle East may not be ‘broken’ but, as is persuasively argued here, the transformations it is undergoing are bound to be defining. With a fortuitous combination of expertise and timeliness, the astute insights that this book presents are of urgent relevance to policymakers and the public alike.” (James Piscatori, Professor and Member of the Centre for the History of Political Thought, Durham University, UK)

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“This book is a timely, extremely important contribution to the contemporary debate on the rapid social and political changes in the Middle East. Original in its theme and approach, the book focuses on the complex relationships between Iran and the Arabic speaking world as it explores the recent resurgence of regional sectarian conflict as well as the role of diverse Islamist political ideologies in the region. The focus on Iran and its complex foreign policy in relation to neighboring Arab countries including Saudi Arabia is an important aspect of this book as it contributes to widening the discussion on Iranian politics and on the country’s strategic role in the region beyond the stereotypical perception of Iran as a ‘radical’ and rogue state.” (Karima Laachir, SOAS, University of London, UK)

"Presenting a balanced assessment of the geopolitical, internal, and religious challenges to political and social order of Arab counties as well as Iran, this volume of discerning analyses explains both the often unsettling fissures that have opened and underlying continuities. The Middle East may not be 'broken' but, as is persuasively argued here, the transformations it is undergoing are bound to be defining. With a fortuitous combination of expertise and timeliness, the astute insights that this book presents are of urgent relevance to policymakers and the public alike." (James Piscatori, Professor and Member of the Centre for the History of Political Thought, Durham University, UK) "/p> "This book is a timely, extremely important contribution to the contemporary debate on the rapid social and political changes in the Middle East. Original in its theme and approach, the book focuses on the complex relationships between Iran and the Arabic speaking world as it explores the recent resurgence of regional sectarian conflict as well as the role of diverse Islamist political ideologies in the region. The focus on Iran and its complex foreign policy in relation to neighboring Arab countries including Saudi Arabia is an important aspect of this book as it contributes to widening the discussion on Iranian politics and on the country's strategic role in the region beyond the stereotypical perception of Iran as a 'radical' and rogue state." (Karima Laachir, SOAS, University of London, UK)