In that sense, MacQueen’s book An Introduction to Middle East Politics can be considered an important effort. The work, initially published in 2013 and expanded in 2018, aims to be a new model of textbooks about the Middle East. To accomplish this, the author uses an approach focused on issues such as democratization, political change, human rights and political economy. The second edition maintains almost the same structure as the first, changing only the order and the title of some chapters. Besides, it contains an additional chapter on the Syrian Civil War and its consequent refugee crisis. The phenomenon was still in its early stages, when the first edition was released, changing significantly in later years.
One way to achieve these goals is to emphasize the importance of countries like Iraq and Egypt, as well as Yemen, Sudan and the North African states. The author does not enter into the debate about the geographical extent covered by the term ‘Middle East.’ However, based on the case studies mentioned throughout the book, it is possible to infer that the term is used to designate countries located in North Africa, the Levant, the Gulf, and the Arabian Peninsula.
