John Turner’s publication “Great powers as client states in a Middle East cold war” discloses how different countries explicitly or implicitly engage in a cold war. The article also reveals how one state becomes dominant over other ones under conditions of intermittent political and economic conflicts (Turner, 2012). Yet, it remains controversial that Middle East cold war, influenced by the Soviet and the U.S. clash, is the reason for forming client relationships. This paper aims to analyze the selected article and find out if the topic arguments are convincing.
The politics of the Middle East has always been the point of numerous debates as the region would either attract or repel other countries. Turner (2012) specified that from 1965 until 1970, the Middle East was in a state of cold war due to the attempts of Egypt, Syria, and Lebanon, backed by the U.S.S.R., to reshape the region under the influence of nationalism. In the meantime, other states supported by the U.S. wanted to maintain the status quo (Turner, 2012). Hence, the article aims to expose the underpinnings of the ever-growing opposition in the Middle East, which is still present and affects states’ interrelationships.
The arguments supporting the author’s stance are convincing as he applies numerous historical contexts to prove his ideas. In addition, Turner implements direct citations which support the proposed points and clarifies the meaning of key event and relationship in the Middle East – this is the major strength of the study. However, the paper lacks a discussion part where the further direction of the issue investigation could be specified. In general, the publication can be useful and applicable for studying current trends in the region’s politics and economy.
In conclusion, the publication by John Turner explicitly provides theoretical historical evidence to prop the controversy in the Middle East. The author clarifies the reason for the opposition, which roots back to the Egyptian revolution that provoked the “Arab cold war.” In general, the arguments and the proofs are convincing, which makes the source credible and applicable for further usage. The article can be used as a basis for conducting further investigation on the issues of Middle Eastern politics.
Reference
Turner, J. (2012). Great powers as client states in a middle east cold war. Middle East Policy, 19(3), 124-134. Web.