State Building and Democratization in Africa and the Middle East

<p>How can we understand the emergence of the modern state in the Middle East and Africa? What implications do contemporary ideologies such as nationalism and Islamism have for this type of state? In what way is it affected by the domestic socio-cultural reality that usually arises as a product of clan and ethnic communities' pursuit of political power? What type of economic regime or/and distribution model characterizes the modern state in the Middle East and Africa? In what way is the modern state in the Middle East and Africa challenged by democratic movements and popular demand for political change? In order to understand the contemporary state's raison d'être in these geopolitical areas and regions, we not only need to use a number of specific theoretical tools, but also make clear demarcations with relevance to the various political forces that affect the state and its institutions both nationally and internationally .</p>