Editor’s Note

As the Middle East continues to see the emergence of new political structures and new constellations of power players, our authors in this issue address a number of important political and economic challenges of the present time, while one article offers a revisionist history of a familiar period, the aftermath of the Iranian Revolution of 1979.

Energy issues remain a major concern for the global economy and critical resources for the states of our region. Our first two articles address two aspects of the current scene. In the first, James Stocker of Trinity Washington University examines the conflicting issues of offshore economic zones and the problems these create due to the discovery of oil and gas reserves in the Eastern Mediterranean. In the second, Einar Wigen, a Doctoral Fellow at the University of Oslo, analyzes Turkey’s energy needs and pipeline projects in terms of geopolitics and the country’s own domestic energy needs.

Professor Mark Gasiorowski of LSU examines a little-known development during a much-studied period: US intelligence cooperation with the new, post-revolutionary government in Iran between the fall of the Shah and the seizure of the US Embassy in November. Combining interviews with declassified documents and the documents published by the captors of the Embassy, he paints a picture of limited but real cooperation that is usually overlooked.

Our final two articles address differing aspects of the political changes being felt at opposite ends of the Arab world. Toby Matthiesen of Cambridge University provides an in-depth look at the Shi‘a protest movement in eastern Saudi Arabia, drawing heavily on the movement’s own documentation, for 2011–2012.

The final article, by Ashraf Nabih El Sherif of the American University in Cairo, analyzes the emergence of Justice and Development Party (PJD) in Morocco and its reorganization prior to its success in elections.

Our Book Review Article for this issue, by Tom Johnson, deals with recent books on the continuing struggle in Afghanistan. The usual range of other books are reviewed in the Book Review section.

As always, this issue contains our Chronology, which has appeared in every isssue since the first, and will soon be available in an online version.

I’d also remind readers that between issues they may find my own ongoing commentary on Middle Eastern developments at the MEI Editor’s Blog at http://mideasti.blogspot.com.