Alliance politics in the post-2011 Middle East: Advancing theoretical and empirical perspectives

Abstract

Alliances in the post-2011 Middle East are characterized by anomalous shifts and upsurge of new actors leading to theoretical and empirical puzzles. This article argues that unravelling these patterns requires grappling with in-depth knowledge of regional politics and a serious engagement with the broader IR literature. Through this dual exploration, the article explores how the literature on alliance cohesion within IR could inform anomalous alliance dynamics in the post-2011 regional order. It also reveals how regional developments in the post-2011 Middle East, such as the pursuit of alliance by non-state actors, present avenues for theoretical innovations.

Theoretical Analysis of the U.S. Foreign Policy Towards Kurds in Syria After 2011

“…They were able to maintain conflict-free relations with Russia while also securing its military and political support. Russia is also hesitant to back a self-governing Kurdish region in Syria, and its relations with Turkey have been a source of tension and concern for the Kurds (Darwich, 2021).…”

Waiting for IR Godot? In search of transformative encounters between Middle Eastern Studies and International Relations

“…An initial observation pointed to the fact that ‘whereas the comparative-politics literature on the Arab uprisings and their aftermath demonstrates theoretical progress with sophisticated empirical analysis, there has been significantly less theoretical engagement by international relations (IR) theorists’ (Lynch and Ryan, 2017, 643). Within this general trend, in the ensuing years, there has been an effort to fill this gap, encouraging cross-fertilization between IR and MES to address specific themes, more in the direction of a self-reflexive dialogue, such as regional hegemony (Hinnebusch, 2019), the role of non-state actors in regional politics (Kausch, 2017) or the study of alliances (Darwich, 2021), as well to advance a meta-level reflection on the disciplines (Pomeps, 2015; Fawcett, 2017; Lynch and Ryan, 2017; Stetter, 2021). An effort at cross-fertilization has also been encouraged by the broader debate on the Global, Post-Western, Global South IR, and geo-cultural epistemologies and the loci of knowledge production (Tickner and Waever, 2008; Abboud et al ., 2018; Hazbun and Valbjørn, 2018; Acharya and Buzan, 2019).…”