/ACRPSAlbumAssetList/2021-Daily-Images/Arab-State-Arab-World.jpg
Studies 01 September, 2021

The Arab State: A Historical Sociology Approach

Adham Saouli

Professor of Political Science, Doha Institute for Graduate Studies. Author of Hezbollah: Socialisation and its Tragic Ironies

Raymond Hinnebusch

Professor of International Relations and Middle East Politics at the University of St Andrews in Scotland, co-founder of the Institute for the study of the Middle East, Central Asian and the Caucasus and Director of the Centre for Syrian Studies. His research and publications are focused on international relations, the Middle East, Syrian and Egyptian policies. His research and publications are focused on international relations, the Middle East, Syrian and Egyptian policies.


Abstract 

acrobat Icon This study presents a theoretical framework on and empirical accounts of state formation, development, and deformation in the Arab world. Taking a comparative historical methodology, the article raises several questions: What is the difference between a regime and a state? What kind of regimes emerged in the Arab world and how do we explain variations in their formations and types? Why have some state-building processes failed whilst others succeeded? The study's main finding is that state building in the Arab world can be described as a bell-shaped curve rather than a linear approximation of Weberian or Westphalian notions of statehood.


* This study was published in the 10th issue of AlMuntaqa, a peer-reviewed academic journal for the social sciences and humanities, (pp. 8-28). You can read the full paper here.