Includes bibliographical references and index.

The events of the Arab Uprisings posed an existential challenge to sovereign power across the Middle East. Whilst some regimes were able to withstand these challenges through recourse to coercive strategies, others were toppled. This book questions why some regimes fell whilst others were able to survive. It argues that this was a direct consequence of state building processes and the cultivation of particular relationships between rulers and ruled. One of the consequences of such efforts is the transformation of regional politics along increasingly 'sectarianized' lines to devastating effect. This book offers a timely and unique approach to linking the events of the Arab Uprisings and on-going conflict across the region through exploring the marginalization and manipulation of identities across the Middle East.