The Middle East and the Near East: Paradoxes of Modernization

Abstract / Review Content:

This review provides a detailed analysis of the collective monograph "The Near and Middle East: Paradoxes of Modernization," edited by I.D. Zvyagelskaya. The reviewer notes that this work is not merely another regional collection, but the outcome of rigorous collective research that moves beyond Eurocentric cliches. Within this scope, the analysis engages deeply with the evolving geopolitics of the Middle East.

The book draws upon Shmuel Eisenstadt's concept of "multiple modernities," Acemoglu and Robinson's institutional theories, and rentier state conceptual frameworks. High praise is given to chapters covering the synthesis of traditions and institutions (V. Kuznetsov), Israel's hybrid modernization model (L. Samarskaya), the Iranian concept of development within Islamic values (E. Dobreva), and the concluding section on Afghanistan analyzing the collapse of external modernization projects and the Taliban movement (I. Guzhev, E. Belkov). Underpinned by interdisciplinary scientific research, the review highlights the harmonious synergy between seasoned Orientalists and emerging scholars.

Keywords: Near East, Middle East, modernization, tradition, multiple modernities, security, Afghanistan, Israel, Iran, book review, geopolitics of the Middle East, interdisciplinary scientific research.