The Politics of Arab Integration

This volume is the result of a major research project, the most important inquiry into the fundamental political structure of the Arab world. It is often argued that Arab states are arbitrary political creations that lack historical or present legitimacy and are unable to relate to each other in a productive way. It is further suggested that the demise of pan-Arabism merely underlines the inability of individual Arab states to integrate either domestically or internationally. This book, Volume Four in the "Nation, State and Integration in the Arab World" research project carried out by the Istituto Affari Internazionali, sets out to answer the questions of Arab integration, with articles from a wide range of contributors from around the world.

Fourth of the four volumes of the series Nation, State and Integration in the Arab World, the product of a three-year collective effort organised by the Istituto Affari Internazionali (IAI). Published also in the series "Routledge Library Editions: Politics of the Middle East" (July 2015, ISBN 978-1-13-892249-5). Chapter 6 already published in Giacomo Luciani (ed.), Public Finance in the Arab Countries, Ottawa, International Development Research Centre (IDRC), July 1986, p. 82-103 (Manuscript Reports ; 135e). Chapters 5, 7-9 and introduction published also in Giacomo Luciani (ed.), The Arab State, London, Routledge, 1990.