The Arab uprisings that began in 2011 have drawn attention to elements crucial to assessing and reassessing the ways that states form, stay together, and react to the forces of globalization. For different states in the MENA region, this has had different implications and consequences that stem from the politics of identity and the historical and political processes individual states have faced in their development. This volume examines these elements in terms of religion, ethnicity, and identity - among other factors - to illustrate their importance in state formation and the ways that they have been affected by the uprisings. It focuses on the historical, political, economic, and social factors at work, especially as they take shape next to globalization. Case studies include well-established states such as Egypt, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia, as well as less well established Gulf countries such as Bahrain. The authors take the view that identity is a dynamic and changing element in the process of state formation.

Kenneth Christie is Program Head of the Masters in Arts in Human Security and Peacebuilding at Royal Roads University, Canada. In the last 25 years, he has taught and conducted research at universities in the USA, Singapore, South Africa, Norway, and Dubai, concentrating on human rights, security, identity, and globalization. His recent publications include America's War on Terrorism: The Revival of the Nation-State Versus Universal Human Rights (2008) and US National Identity and Foreign Policy in the 21st Century (2008).

Mohammad Masad is Assistant Professor in the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences at Zayed University, United Arab Emirates. His research interests include Islamic history, the Middle East, Medieval divination, Mediterranean cultures and societies, Palestine, Dubai, and the United Arab Emirates. He is recipient of the Fulbright-Hays Doctoral Research Abroad Fellowship.

Introduction: The state and Identity in MENA; Kenneth Christie and Mohammad Masad
1. State Formation, Religion and Ethnicity in the Middle East and North Africa: An Overview; Mohammad Masad and Kenneth Christie
2. Extra-Regional Interests, Authoritarian Elites and Dependent State Formation in the Arab World; Marion Boulby
3. The Interplay of Palestinian and Jordanian Identities in Re/making the State and Nation Formation in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan; Nur Köprülü
4. The Ikhwan Movement and its Role in Saudi Arabia's State Building; Sebastiano Andreotti
5. The Post-14/02/11 Bahrain: A State in the Remaking; Magdalena Karolak
6. Muslims and Christians in Egyptian State Formation: A New Beginning in 2011?; Sebastian Elsässer
7. Religion, Ethnicity, and State Formation in Algeria: 'The Berber' As a Category of Contestation; Lisa Watanabe
8. The Free Patriotic Movement and Hezbollah Political Entente: A Paradigm Shift in Lebanese Identity and State Formation?; Bouchra Bouyoub