Books
forthcoming 2025
نظريات العلاقات الدولية ودراسة الحرب والسلام
Infinite Debate: Theories of International Relations and the Study of War and Peace, 2 vols
Doha: Qatar University Press
This monograph is the first comprehensive handbook on modern and contemporary theories of war and conflict in Arabic. It engages with the theoretical debates in the field of war studies, which contributes to the development efforts of knowledge production in the Arab World in the fields of International Relations, War Studies, and Peace Research. The author presents an extended critical discussion of mainstream theories of International Relations (e.g., Realism, Liberalism, Marxism, and Critical Theories), on the causes of conventional wars between international actors (i.e., nation-states). How do wars continue? When do they end? Therefore, the apparent scarcity of Arab scholarship on the phenomenon of war makes this book an indispensable source for both undergraduate and postgraduate students of international relations, as well as for military, security, and strategic academies, think tanks specialized in Middle Eastern politics, foreign policy, and diplomatic affairs across the MENA region.
Leiden: Brill, 2023
How has a widely internationally celebrated revolution transformed into an undesired phenomenon from almost all actors? This book introduces new non-Western perspectives on the Arab Uprisings, decentering and decolonizing International Relations and Middle Eastern Studies. Drawing on over 10 years of fieldwork, ethnography, over 250 interviews, and empirical research, it is one of the first books to evaluate the position of International Relations theorists towards the study of the Arab Uprisings. It relies on local IR scholarship from the region, which is rarely considered, and provides a critical account of why democratic revolutions have failed, how counterrevolutions and authoritarianism have fortified, and why revolutions will once again experience a resurgence in this part of the world.
Talk:
Interview with New Books Network
Abington: Routledge, 2022
Can anti-terror responses turn into anti-democracy measures? This book reveals how counterterrorism discourses and practices became the main tool of a systematic violation of human rights in Egypt after the Arab Uprising. It examines how the civic and democratic uprising in Egypt turned into robust authoritarianism under the pretence of counterterrorism and the “war on terror”.
The book traces 150 years of Egyptian counterterrorism and counterinsurgency discourse, and analyses how this links with these practices of human rights assaults, both during colonial and postcolonial periods. By interrogating Egypt’s counterterrorism legislation, “Counterrorism Strategies in Egypt” identifies a correlation between counterterrorism narratives and the systemic violation of human rights. It examines the construction of a national security state that has little tolerance for dissent, political debate or the questioning of official policy, and how the anti-terrorism measures undertaken are anti-democracy strategies. The book also highlights how the government legitimises these violations against the population in the interests of the ruling elite, by investigating how this discourse constructs and reproduces knowledge and meaning about terrorism and counterterrorism practices in Egypt.
Awards:
nominated for the British International Studies Association (BISA) L. H. M. Ling Outstanding First Book Prize
Reviews:
Tasniem Anwar, Security Dialogue journal
الخدمة الوطنية في دولة الإمارات العربية المتحدة (القاهرة: دار العربي للنشر)
From Tribes to Nation-States: National Service in the GCC and the U.A.E.
Cairo: Al-Arabi Publishing House, 2023
This is the first book in Arabic to study the history, development, and transformative consequences of conscription and national-service legislation in the Arabian Gulf countries. Likewise, it is the first study that presents a comprehensive analysis (based on interviews, fieldwork, and ethnographic research) of the perception, attitudes, and behaviours of Emirati youth towards the mandatory conscription law.
This book seeks to answer the following questions: What are the main motives that led the U.A.E. (and other Gulf states) to issue the National Service Law? What are the internal and external circumstances that prompted the Emirati political leadership to such a step? How did the Emirati society receive this decision? What are the responses of the Emirati youth (targeted groups), and what are their perceptions, attitudes, and awareness of the law? and finally, what are the obstacles facing the application and implementation of the National Service Law in the future? whether in the U.A.E. or other GCC countries?
Awards:
The Sultan Bin Ali Al Owais Cultural Award, Human/Future Studies Section, Dubai, U.A.E., 2018
من الإتحاد إلى الريادة: القوة الناعمة وصعود النفوذ الإماراتي(أبو ظبي: مركز سلطان بن زايد للثقافة والإعلام)
Soft Power and the Rise of Emirates Diplomacy
Abu Dhabi: Sultan Bin Zayed’s Cultural and Media Centre, 2018
This book explores the aspects of the pillars, and objectives of the the United Arab Emirates (U.A.E.) rise, as well as the challenges that face them in the future, and what we may hope to expect from the rise of this Small Gulf State, regionally and globally. Indeed, the increasing political power of the UAE (and other GCC countries), resulting from efforts towards sustainable development and increased economic growth realized by high oil prices, along with the state of political and social stability in these countries, was reflected in the constant increase in public satisfaction and contentment with their governments’ performance. Furthermore, they have enjoyed an increase in the scope of their soft power and diplomatic activities, leading to the expansion of their involvement in regional crises and disputes, and success in the management and resolution of some of the recent conflicts in the region.
As the economic relations of the U.A.E. grow, so do its political role and commitments to maintain peace and stability in its neighbourhood in particular and world affairs in general. Therefore is well-placed to be a key player between the East and the West, and could be of particular cause in the context of recent struggles in the Middle East.
Awards:
The Sultan Bin Ali Al Owais Cultural Award, Human/Future Studies Section, Dubai, U.A.E.,2016
Reviews:
Mohamed Abdul-Rahman, Al-Youm7, August 1, 2019
الأخوة الأعداء: العلاقات اليمنية - الخليجية (القاهرة: دار العربي للنشر)
Frenemies: GCC – Yemen Relations
Cairo: Al-Arabi Publishing House, 2017
This book discusses the question of whether Yemen will join the Organization of the Gulf Cooperation Council (known as GCC) which encompasses Saudi Arabia, the U.A.E., Qatar, Oman, Bahrain, and Kuwait. The book does that through a comparative theoretical analysis of the perspectives of Neoliberal Institutionalism and Neorealism Theories in International Relations on how states act, and the influence of international institutions. On the one hand, both neoliberal institutionalists and constructivists claim that shared norms, cultural and normative convergence, side by side with economic interdependence, make the possibility of Yemen joining the membership of GCC high. In contrast, Realist and Neorealist perspectives prioritize security, military, and stability considerations over normative and economic variables in determining the form of relations and rapprochement between states and their neighbours. The book adopts Neorealist perspectives and argues that contrary to the rosy liberal perspectives, neorealism emphasizes the difficulty (and perhaps impossibility) of Yemen’s (a failed and troubled state) accession to the GCC membership. This is a result of the security challenges and instability that Yemen could cause to the small and rich Gulf countries. The book analyses the development of political, security, and economic relations between Yemen and the GCC countries since the establishment of the organization in 1981.
Reviews:
Al-Ahram, January 13 2018
Mohamed Abdul-Rahman, Al-Youm7, January 14, 2018
من كامب ديفيد إلى 25 يناير: العلاقات المصرية - الأمريكية (بيروت: الدار العربية للعلوم)
From Camp David to Tahrir Square: US-Egypt Relations
Beirut: Arab Scientific Publishers, Inc., 2016
This book examines how Egyptian-American relations affect Egyptian national interests and its role and influence in the Middle East. The book is primarily concerned with the state of alliance and strategic cooperation between the two countries that elapsed from the peace treaty between Egypt and Israel (known as the Camp David Accords) until the Arab Uprising of 2011. I present a theoretical analysis of the process of US foreign policy decision-making towards the Middle East. From the Egyptian perspective, the book examines the levels and aspects of cooperation and conflict between the two countries. Where the argument of the book states that as a strategically important Arab country, Egypt has been a cornerstone of the US grand strategy in the Middle East for the last four decades. The main findings show that while relations had a positive impact on US interests in the Middle East, it had negative impacts on Egyptian regional and international interests and positions.
هيمنة ناعمة: صعود وتراجع القوة الناعمة المصرية(القاهرة: دار العين للنشر)
Soft Hegemony: The Rise and Retreat of Egypt’s Soft Power
This is the first book in Arabic that is fully dedicated to the study of Egypt’s Soft Power (and in the Arab-speaking World in general). In this book, I critically engaged and adopted Joseph Nye’s thesis on soft power and applied it to understudied non-Western cases such as Egypt and the MENA region.
The main argument of the book states that the most crucial factors in igniting Egypt’s soft power revolve around the legitimacy and attractiveness of the political regime, its legitimate and principles-based foreign policy, and its cross-regional cultural appeal and popularity. This book traces the carious case of Egypt’s soft power and its predominant role in the Middle East in the last 100 years, both during colonial and postcolonial periods, and traces its origins, sources, and indicators, and how it was employed to fulfil Egypt's national and regional interests. In principle, Egypt’s soft power is one of the strongest tools of Egyptian power in the region, and vice-versa.
Reviews:
Mohammad Al-Hamamisy, Al-Bayan, May 29, 2015
Mohammad Haji, Al-alaraby, November 06, 2015
El-Raed Newspaper, November 25, 2018
العودة للمستقبل: السياسة الخارجية المصرية بعد ثورة يناير (القاهرة: دار ميريت)
Back to the Future: Egypt Foreign Policy After the Arab Uprising
This is the first book in Arabic to study Egypt’s foreign policy after the Arab Uprising.
The focal point of the book is to engage with the theoretical debate that the foreign policies of any country are nothing but a reflection of the current transformations within the local political situation. In other words, any quantitative or qualitative changes affecting the nature of the local system are accompanied by changes related to the nature of the foreign policy. The main argument of this book claims that transformations at a unit level (i.e., state, and political system) that occur because of revolution and regime change, etc., will have a crucial impact on both foreign policy and regional and international interactions. The extent of positioning and influence of these domestic transformations depend on revolutionary states’ geopolitical position in the regional environment, as well as its centrality and significance for regional coalitions and global balance of power considerations.
This book critically engages the continuous debate between the three dominant schools of thought in International Relations (i.e., Realism, Liberalism, and Constructivism) regarding revolutions, radical changes, and their impacts on both international and regional orders, with special emphasis on revolutions that take place within middle and small powers from the Global South such as Egypt. The book emphasizes the constitutive role of domestic transformations it plays in shaping and (re)shaping the relations between nation-states both at times of peace and war.
Reviews:
Aly El-Reggal, Mominoun, (May 22, 2014)
Belal Abdullah, Al-Moustakbal Al-Arabi,(September 30, 2014)
نحو استراتيجية وطنية مصريةللقرن الحادي والعشرين: تصورات مبدئية(الإسكندرية: مكتبة الاسكندرية)
Indispensable State: Egypt’s Search for Grand Strategy After the Arab Uprising
Indispensable State: Egypt’s Search for Grand Strategy After the Arab Uprising
Alexandria: Bibliotheca Alexandrina, 2014
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The first study in Arabic engages and applies the semi-exclusive American notion of “Grand Strategy” to both non-western power and non-great power cases. The departure point for this study was the claim that the absence of a national strategy for securing public support will decrease the people’s trust in the regime’s ability and have repercussions on the overall performance of the state. Hence, if no study has been conducted to evaluate or assess the risks, challenges, and urgent requirements to ensure the dignity of the people, and the rate of decay of available resources to secure these values, consequently, this “trust crisis” could lead to a cycle of upheavals, instability, and failure because of the lack of vision which could save the country and prevent it from falling into a disaster.
In this book, I present a theoretical account of the most efficient and realistic responses, alternatives, and suggestions to address radical transformations and challenges that the Arab Uprisings pose upon Egypt. I argue that if a state operates in a day-to-day manner without any strategic or long-term planning, this will have a prolonged reversed repercussion on its security, stability, and even its survival, as the contemporary Egyptian (and Arab) revolutionary experience has demonstrated.
Reviews:
Jacqueline Mounir, Al-Youm 7, September 25, 2014