Brief learning objectives have been made available by the author, to assist you with your studies. 

This chapter will enable a greater understanding of:

• The interplay between the Ottoman and the colonial periods and how they impacted on the modern Middle East.

• The origins of the state system of the Middle East, particularly in terms of patterns of centralised rule, new political institutions and elites and the role of religion in politics.

• The formation of political discourse in the Middle East, with particular reference to its relationship with the outside world.

• The cultural challenge of colonialism and how this affected political and social life within the Middle East.

• The sources of current issues in Middle Eastern politics, with particular emphasis on the question of dependency and the sources of the Arab–Israeli conflict.