Iran’s Interregional Dynamics in the Near East

Few regions in the world are as torn by conflicts as the Near East, in which Iran plays a central role. Opportunities to engage with Iran are abundant, but they are squandered when regional states address immediate conflicts in which Iran is only one part, despite its prominent role. Iran’s Interregional Dynamics in the Near East provides a comprehensive guide to broaden our understanding about Iran and its regional neighbors. By analyzing how Iran’s neighbors view their ties with the country, this volume reveals why Iran is less successful in expanding its regional influence than what is commonly assumed. This is the first book of its kind to be written exclusively by authors from and working in the Near East region who came together at a roundtable funded by and convened at Princeton University. As the moderator of the roundtable, the editor of this volume invited the authors to contribute chapters to this timely book. The book explores a wide range of topics to describe the complex relations between Iran and other states in the Near East including Israel, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Iraq, Syria, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Jordan, Lebanon, Bahrain, Kuwait, and Oman. The volume is designed to inform politicians, world leaders, scholars, senior policy makers, and graduate students, and it provides an accessible guide to undergraduate students, junior scholars, and the general public.

Table of Contents:
Acknowledgments – Note on Transliteration – Banafsheh Keynoush: Introduction – Banafsheh Keynoush: Saudi Arabia and Iran: Can Balanced Relations Be Restored? – Banafsheh Keynoush/Hamad H. Albloshi: Iran’s Axis of Influence in Levant and Iraq – Luciano Zaccara/Wafa Sultana Mohiddin: Qatar and Iran: Regional Roles, Risks and Opportunities – Hamad H. Albloshi: Kuwaiti Views of Iran – Nursin Ateşoğlu Güney/Banafsheh Keynoush/Visne Korkmaz: Iran’s Relations with Bahrain, Oman, and the United Arab Emirates – Nursin Ateşoğlu Güney/Özden Zeynep Oktav: Old Grievances, New Challenges: Conflict and Cooperation between Turkey and Iran – Bibliography – Notes on Contributors – Index.

About the Author :
Banafsheh Keynoush conducted research in the Near East for two decades. She received her Ph.D. from Tufts University, completed coursework at Harvard University, and was a visiting scholar at Princeton University. Her book Saudi Arabia and Iran: Friends or Foes? was translated into several languages.

Review :
“Few subjects are more important, or controversial, in contemporary world affairs than Iran’s alliances and conflicts with its Middle Eastern neighbors. In this book, seasoned experts in the region lay out the key issues in a dispassionate, informed and analytical manner that sheds loads of light on this crucial topic.” – Juan Cole, Richard P. Mitchell Collegiate Professor of History and author of Engaging the Muslim World “Iran’s Interregional Dynamics in the Near East is one of the few books that fully examines how Iran’s neighbors like the Gulf Cooperation Council, Iraq, and Turkey view that country’s foreign policy. It fills a major gap in our understanding of the geostrategic rivalries unfolding in the Middle East. An excellent read.” – Fawaz A. Gerges, Professor of International Relations at the London School of Economics and author of the forthcoming The Hundred Years’ War for Control of the Middle East (2021)