Islam in the Balance: Ideational Threats in Arab Politics is an analysis of how ideas, or political ideology, can threaten states and how states react to ideational threats. It examines the threat perception and policies of two Arab Muslim majority states, Egypt and Saudi Arabia, in response to the rise and activities of two revolutionary "Islamic states," established in Iran (1979) and Sudan (1989). Using these comparative case studies, the book provides important insight about the role of religious ideology for the international and domestic politics of the Middle East and, in doing so, advances our understanding of how, why, and when ideology affects threat perception and state policy. Rubin makes clear that transnational ideologies may present a greater and more immediate national security threat than shifts in the military balance of power: first because ideology, or ideational power, triggers threat perception and affects state policy; second because states engage in ideational balancing in response to an ideological threat. The book has significant implications for international relations theory and engages important debates in comparative politics about authoritarianism and Islamic activism. Its findings about how an Islamist regime or state behaves will provide vital insight for policy creation by the US and its Middle East allies should another such regime or state emerge.
"This book adds to and extends the international relations (IR) theory literature on what could be colloquially described as wars of words . . . The chief merit of this book is that it helps to counterbalance and correct IR theories which subordinate ideas to material capabilities (military, economic, geo-strategic) or which exclude ideas altogether in favour of numerically quantifiable calculatio
Journal of Islamic Studies
"This groundbreaking book unites theoretical innovation with area-based insight. New concepts-ideational security dilemma and ideological balancing-are used to explain the dynamics of regional politics in the Middle East. It is essential reading for area specialists, along with political scientists and even a more general audience."
University of Southern California
"Rubin's work engages and even bridges international relations theories from neoclassical realism to constructivism . . . Islam in the Balance is an excellent book. It adds to the small but growing literature on the international relations of the Middle East, introduces important new concepts that can be applied well beyond the case studies in the book, and is a well-written text that will be of g
