A unique annual record of political developments in the Middle East, the Middle East Contemporary Survey (MECS) is acknowledged as the standard reference work on events and trends in the region. Designed to be a continuing, up-to-date reference for scholars, researchers and analysts, policymakers, students, and journalists, it examines in detail the rapidly changing Middle Eastern scene in all its complexity. Each volume is divided into two parts: the first provides a series of essays on broad regional issues and on the region's foreign relations; the second offers country-by-country surveys of all the Arab states, as well as Turkey, Israel, and Iran. They elucidate the inner dynamics of each country's polity and society. Volume XII covers the year 1988-an eventful and in many ways momentous year in the Middle East. In the West Bank and Gaza, the intifada grew and conflict intensified, creating profound changes for all Palestinians, for Israel, and for the region at large. In 1988, the civilian uprising paved the way for the Palestinian declaration of independence and the concomitant boost in the PLO's international standing, generating new impetus for the long-stalemated Middle East peace process. The intifada also led to King Hussein's dissociation from the West Bank in word and deed. Among the other major themes covered in this volume are the sudden termination of the eight-year Iran-Iraq War with its domestic and regional repercussions; the Soviet withdrawal from Afghanistan after nine years of occupation; the impact of glasnost on Moscow's new political style, specifically its Middle Eastern policy; the ongoing disintegration of Lebanon; and the general elections in Israel, whose results led again to the formation of a National Unity Government.

Other volumes in this series -- About the Series and Editors -- Preface -- Transliteration -- Recommended Method for Citation from MECS -- List of Sources -- Current Issues -- The Middle East in Perspective -- 1988: A Shift of Accent -- The Middle East and World Affairs -- The United States and the Middle East in 19881 -- The Soviet Union and the Middle East in 1988 -- The Afghanistan Conflict: The Soviet Withdrawal -- Arab-Israeli Relations -- The Middle East Peace Process -- Armed Operations -- Intraregional and Islamic Affairs -- Inter-Arab Relations -- An Uneasy Truce in Islam -- The Iraqi-Iranian War -- Palestinian Issues -- The Palestine Liberation Organization -- The West Bank and the Gaza Strip: The Intifada From Spontaneous Disturbances to Organized Disobedience -- Middle East Economic Issues -- Middle East Oil Developments 1988 -- Jordan's Economy: From Prosperity to Crisis -- Country-by-Country Survey -- Middle East Countries -- The Arab Republic of Egypt (Jumhuriyyat Misr al-`Arabiyya) -- The Gulf States -- Bahrain -- Kuwait -- Oman -- Qatar -- The United Arab Emirates -- Iran (Jumhuriyye Islamiyye Iran) -- Iraq (Al-Jumhuriyya al-`Iraqiyya) -- Israel (Medinat Yisrael) -- Jordan (Al-Mamlaka al-Urdunniyya al-Hashimiyya) -- Lebanon (Al-Jumhuriyya al-Lubnaniyya) -- Libya (Al-Jamahiriyya al-`Arabiyya al-Libiyya al-Sha`biyya al-Ishtirakiyya al-`Uzma) -- The People's Democratic Republic of Yemen (Jumhuriyyat al-Yaman al-Sha`biyya al-Dimuqratiyya) -- The Saudi Arabian Kingdom (Al-Mamlaka al-`Arabiyya al-Sa`udiyya) -- The Republic of Sudan (Jumhuriyyat al-Sudan) -- The Arab Republic of Syria (Al-Jumhuriyya al-`Arabiyya al-Suriyya) -- Turkey (Turkiye Cumhuriyeti) -- The Yemeni Arab Republic (Al-Jumhuriyya al-`Arabiyya al-Yamaniyya)