Introduction to the international politics of the Middle East -- Core and periphery: the international system and the Middle East -- Identity and sovereignty in the regional system -- State formation and international behaviour -- Foreign policy making in the Middle East -- Comparative foreign policies: historical sociology explanations for foreign policy variation -- War and order in the regional system -- The Middle East under US hegemony (1990-2010) -- The Arab Uprising: Consequences for State and System -- Conclusion: between IR Theory and the Middle East case.