The Arab Spring in Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, and elsewhere has highlighted the growing importance of the politics of civil society in the contemporary Middle East. In "Reproducing Sectarianism," Paul W. T. Kingston examines rights-oriented advocacy networks within Lebanon s postwar civil society, focusing on movements and political campaigns based on gender relations, the environment, and disability. Set within Lebanon s postwar sectarian democracy, whose factionalizing dynamics have long penetrated the country s civil society, Kingston s fascinating study provides an in-depth analysis of the successes and challenges that ensued in promoting rights-oriented social policies. Drawing on extensive field research, including interviews and a wealth of primary documents, Kingston has produced a groundbreaking work that will be of interest to Middle East experts and nonexperts alike."

In an historically informed critique of development assistance, Paul Kingston examines Britain's foreign aid program in the Middle East in the 1940s and 1950s. Focusing on the debates among British experts, their American rivals, and Middle Eastern technocrats over development policy, the author raises important questions about the nature of the development process in the Middle East and Third World generally. The book will be of interest to development practitioners and to scholars in development studies, as well as to students of Middle East and imperial history.

In an historically informed critique of the theory and pratice of development assistance, Paul Kingston examines Britain's foreign aid programme in the Middle East in the 1940s and 1950s. After an initial assessment of the origins of what was dubbed the 'peasants, not pashas' policy - notably the link between development, sterling balances, and post-war imperial strategy - the author focuses on planning and policy debates in Iran, Iraq, and Jordan, between British development experts, their American rivals, and Middle Eastern technocrats. These debates, which centred on issues such as afforestation, irrigation, and rural credit, raise important questions about the nature and limits of the development process within the Middle East and the Third World more generally which the author explores in his analysis. These insights will be of interest to development practitioners and scholars in development studies, as well as to students of Middle East and imperial history.