Causes and consequences of unbalanced relations in the international politics of the Middle East, 1946–2010

Abstract

Is there a Middle East exceptionalism? In this chapter, we examine networks among states in Middle East trying to explore the causes and consequences of relational imbalance. Imbalance refers to a first-order relationship that is the opposite of the logical consequence of a second-order relationship, i.e. the enemy of my enemy is my enemy. We find preliminary evidence for Middle East exceptionalism. The Middle East is found to be more susceptible to the emergence of imbalanced relations. Further, imbalanced relations affect conflict in Middle East at a higher rate than in other regions.