It is testimony to the sad state of the study of economics in the Middle East that a work such
as The Political Economy of Middle East Peace: The Impact of Competing Trade Agendas, edited by J. W. Wright, Jr., could be produced. This collection of essays attempts to shed light on the relationship between international economic relations and the peace process. The sloppy scholarship included in this volume would be inexcusable when looking at any other
region, but it appears to be acceptable when analyzing Middle Eastern economies. Although this
description is not characteristic of all of the essays in the volume, it diminishes the overall quality
of this work to such a degree that it detracts from the some of the more enlightening and
important papers that are included. For example, Laura Drake's careful examination of
“A New Middle East Order” in the first chapter lays out the potential stumbling
blocks and hurdles as the process of normalization between Arab states and Israel continues.
Unfortunately, the next chapter, by Wright, primarily examines the same topic but almost
completely ignores relevant data and scholarship critical to his thesis. While some chapters
examine key issues and analyze nuances in the political economy of the Middle East peace
process, this uneven and incongruous group of essays is of little value to policy-makers,
academics, or students of Middle Eastern political economy.
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