The Middle East and North Africa are experiencing the most fundamental transition in their post-colonial history. It is a transition that is changing the borders of nation states as well as their political and social structures. Conflicting visions of what those structures should look like have ensured that transition will take years, and these deep-seated differences have ensured that the transition process is volatile, brutal and bloody. The balance of power shifts like quicksand.

Shifting Sands: Essays on Sports and Politics in the Middle East and North Africa is a compilation of essays that constitute a first stab at exploring the importance of sports in general and soccer in particular in the political, social and cultural development of the Middle East and North Africa since the beginning of the 20th century. In doing so, the book provides a new, fresh and unique perspective that contributes to understanding the turbulence sweeping the region that is fundamentally changing its geopolitics and political and social structures.

Contents:IntroductionStreet, Shrine, Square and Soccer Pitch, Comparative Protest Spaces in Asia and the Middle EastReflections on the Revolutions in the Arab World — A Response to Ali A AlawiFacing One's Demons: The Egyptian Military and the Brotherhood at a CrossroadsThe War on the Islamic State: A Purely Military Response to Societal ProblemsHitting Militants Where It Hurts, Development Is the Way to Fight Global TerrorismIsraeli-Palestinian Peacemaking: A Paradigm ShiftA Region in Turmoil: Threats to Gulf Energy and ShippingTurkey: Caught between A Rock and a Hard PlaceWahhabism versus Wahhabism: Qatar Challenges Saudi ArabiaA Decade of Defiance and Dissent, A Wake-up Call for SportsSoccer versus AutocracyThe 2022 World Cup: A Potential Monkey Wrench for ChangeHow Qatar Is Its Own Worst EnemyAsian Football: A Cesspool of Government Interference, Struggles for Power, Corruption and GreedFootball: A Sporting Barometer of European Integration Policies
Readership: Scholars as well as related media covering the regions of Middle East and North Africa, social movement, sports, and political and religiously motivated violence.
Keywords:Middle East;North Africa;Political Violence;Sports;Governance;Egypt;Qatar;IslamReview:0

James Dorsey