Contact: Laurie Kassman, Communications Department 202-785-5336

Washington, DC July 8, 2008: As oil prices reach record highs, the Summer issue of The Middle East Journal features an in-depth look at the consequences of the Iraq War on oil production in the region. This edition also looks at broader geopolitical and historical issues, including an article on the ideological underpinnings of Hizbullah, the growing protest movement in southern Yemen, the status of Palestinian Christians in Jordan and a revisiting of Iran’s 1953 power coup.

In “The Iraq War, Turkey, and Renewed Caspian Energy Prospects,” Paul A. Williams and Ali Tekin of Bilkent University in Ankara analyze the links between the Iraq War and Caspian oil prospects. The co-authors argue that contrary to initial expectations, the war has bolstered the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan project in addition to other natural gas export ventures in the area.

Nearly two decades after the unification of North and South Yemen, Yemen’s southern provinces have witnessed widespread protests. Professor Stephen Day of Stetson University and Rollins College points to lingering problems with Yemen’s unity arrangement as a cause of the unrest. In “Iran’s 1953 Coup Revisited: Internal Dynamics versus External Intrigue,” Fariborz Mokhtari of the Near East South Asia Center for Strategic Studies analyzes the 1953 coup that ousted Iranian Prime Minister Muhammad Mosaddeq, emphasizing domestic factors rather than the US and British roles. “The Political and Social Identities of the Palestinian Christian Community in Jordan,” by K. Luisa Gandolfo of the University of Exeter, explores Jordan’s Palestinian Christian community and the development of its social, religious and political identities.

In “Resistance, Jihad, and Martyrdom in Contemporary Lebanese Shi’a Discourse,” Rola el-Husseini, of Texas A&M, explores the works of Muhammad Husayn Fadlallah and Muhammad Mahdi Shams al-Din, whose writings are central to the ideological foundation of Hizbullah and other militant groups like Hamas.

The book review, by David Thomas of the University of Birmingham (UK), looks at three recently published books: one on Christianity in the Middle East and two on interfaith dialogue in the West.

Since 1946, the Middle East Institute has been dedicated to increasing Americans’ knowledge and understanding of the region. MEI offers program activities, media outreach, language courses, scholars, library resources and an academic journal to help achieve its goals.

For information/access to articles or to subscribe to The Middle East Journal, please contact Managing Editor Adam Mendelson at 202-785-1141, ext. 205. For interviews with an MEJ author, please contact MEI Communications Department at 202-785-5336.