Download or read book Over-stating the Arab State written by Nazih N. Ayubi and published by I.B. Tauris. This book was released on 1995-12-31 with total page 536 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Why is it that even though they all call themselves Arab, there are actually twenty disparate Arab states? Why have these states engaged in numerous attempts at political unification, each of which has ended in failure? Although the rhetoric of politics in most countries is based on broad, universalist ideas such as nationalism or socialism, why have actual ruling castes been so narrowly based and non-representative? These are some of the questions that inform this comparative study of politics and the role of the state in Arab world, and make this a key textbook for students of Middle East politics, political theory and political economy.