Political Narratives in the Middle East and North Africa: Conceptions of Order and Perceptions of Instability (Perspectives on Development in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) Region)

Foreword
Contents
Introduction: The Power of Narratives in Political Contexts
	Staging Politics: The Political Dimensions of Narratives
	Politicians as Storytellers: Regional Dimensions of Political Narratives
	Homo Narrans: The Storytelling Animal
	Storifying Politics: Narratives of Power
	Political Narratives: Characteristic Features and Defining Elements
	The Structure of the Book and an Overview of the Chapters
	References
Part I: Non-State Actors and Regional Powers Narrating and Reshaping Order
	Wartime Narratives of Hezbollah Militants in the Syrian Conflict
		Introduction
		Reckoning on ``Going to War´´: Between Institutional Adjustments and Organizational Redefinition
		Between Distress and Continuity
		The War as ``Existential Struggle´´
		Conclusion
		References
	Chasing the Wind: Clashes Between Israeli and Palestinian Narratives
		Introduction
		The Palestinian Metanarrative
			Al-Nakba and Its Repercussions
			The PLO as the Torchbearer of the Palestinian Metanarrative
			Hamas and Demands to Replace the Official Palestinian Metanarrative
			Adding Despair and Despondency to the Palestinian Metanarrative
		The Israeli Metanarrative
			The Emergence of the Narrative of Return
			1967 and the Settler Movement
			Jewish, Democratic and All of the Land
		Conclusions
		References
	Turkey as the Order-Producing Country: Narrating the New Turkey in the Middle East
		Turkey´s Imperial Strategic Culture as a Precursor of the AKP´s Post-2011 Foreign Policy Narrative
		From Domestic State Transformation to the New Assertive Foreign Policy in the Middle East
		The Main Target of the AKP´s Foreign Policy Narrative: The Muslim Brotherhood Constituencies
		The AKP´s Foreign Policy Narrative in the Evolving International System
		References
	Evolving Narratives of Political Contestation and Geopolitical Rivalry in the Persian Gulf
		I
		II
		III
		References
Part II: Global Players´ Narratives Towards MENA Instability
	Russia in the Middle East: In Search of Its Place
		Introduction: From Ideology to the Pragmatic Defence of Interests
		The Drivers and Principles of Foreign Policy
		Views of the Arab Spring: From Sober Assessment to Useful Narrative
		The Libyan Conflict: Internal Controversies
		The Syrian Conflict: Towards a Superpower Posture
		The Military Operation of 2015: Enter Russia
		onclusion
		References
	The Chinese MENA Narrative: Peace with Development via the Belt and Road Initiative
		Introduction
		Western Narratives and the Current MENA Disorder
			Spreading Democracy by Intrusion
			Failed States and Increasing Disorder
		The Chinese Narrative Aimed at Restoring Order
			The US: A Democratic System at Home, but an Autocratic Power Abroad
			External Intervention Prolongs Civil Conflicts
			``A Community of Common Destiny´´ for Peace and Development
		China´s MENA Interests and the Implementation of the BRI
			Challenges to BRI: MENA Terrorism and Islamic Extremism
			Institutionalizing the BRI
			Supplementing Western Institutions
		A New Mideast Security Arc in a Multi-Order World
		References
	American Narratives of Order-Building in the Middle East: Dashed Visions on the Nile
		Introduction
		Narratives of Order-Building
		Background: The Faces of (Liberal) Hegemony
		Guiding Premises
		George W. Bush: Constructing and Escaping the Incessant Spectre of Disorder
		Barack Obama: Whither Does the ``Arc of History´´ Bend?
			The Heady Days of Revolution
			The Morsi Interregnum and the Al-Sisi Backlash
		Donald J. Trump: A Return to Acknowledging Authoritarian Stability
		Concluding Thoughts: Narratives of Order, Hegemony and Hypocrisy
		References
	The European Union´s Epic Conceptualisations of the Southern Neighbourhood: A Narratological Take on the Mediterranean Story
		Projecting European Order: The Rhetorical Playing Field
		The Post-Modern Vision of Charlemagne: A European Master Narrative
		For Those About to Rock: The European Union and the Non-European Other
		The EU´s Southern Neighbourhood: Framing a Mediterranean Story
		The European Union, the Mediterranean and Foreign Policy: An Epic Dilemma
		References
	Conclusion: Narrative (Dis) Order in Today´s MENA
		References