Fear and Anxiety in the Arab World

"A fascinating study of the role of fear and anxiety in shaping Middle Eastern political behavior."--Monte Palmer, professor emeritus, Florida State University

Michel Nehme is the first to argue that a little-discussed aspect of Arab society and government--the fear that is both used as a weapon by government and felt by the people--has created some of the region's most deep-seated problems and hindered the development and growth of the Arab people. He maintains that collective fear and anxiety play major roles in the continuing political and social disorder of the Middle East.

Nehme shows that fear and anxiety are commonplace concepts, and they keep us alert and socially engaged as individuals. Collectively, however, these emotions are dangerous, fueling the violence at loose in the Middle East today. With examples drawn from the World Trade Center tragedy and its aftermath, Nehme explores how fear affects broad political concerns, such as the peace negotiations between the Arabs and Israelis, as well as matters of daily life: whole generations now grow up without a sense of safety, without trust, and without hope that a decent life in the current political environment is possible.

In addition, Nehme takes issue with many assumptions that have gone unquestioned by Western experts. He argues, for example, that the idea that Islamic culture can be explained as a "shame culture" in which individual behavior is guided by external criticism overlooks the role of guilt in the culture.  He also challenges the notion that Middle Eastern populations are alienated from their political leaders. Instead, he contends that Arab governments are sometimes intimately involved in the society's day-to-day existence and that people have come to feel dependent on a central but often unknown force.  The resulting anxiety leads them to fear those outside the system and, for women especially, to experience a general lack of freedom.

Written by a mature Arab scholar intimately familiar with the complexities of his society and with the rigors of psychoanalytical theory, this book creates a bridge that links the study of psychology, sociology, and politics and sheds fresh light on issues related to identity, nationalism, culture, and leadership in general and in the Middle East in particular.

Michel G. Nehme is dean of the faculty of political science, public administration, and diplomacy at Notre Dame University in Zouk Mosbeh, Lebanon. He has published articles in many journals, including Middle Eastern Studies, British Society for Middle Eastern Studies, and Nationalism and Ethnic Politics.