| Publication |
2014.
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| Summary/Abstract |
Narratives that dramatise and simplify conflicts should be corroded by exposure to complex reality. Yet they retain their mobilising power in the Middle East, topped up by conspiracy theories. To an outside observer, the picture that the Middle East conflict landscape offers is indeed complex and confusing. Littered with interlocking and overlapping conflicts, there is a wealth of narratives that allegedly explain why this is so, outlining who is the designated enemy or ally of whom, and for what reason. But when one compares the reality on the ground to these narratives, things often look quite different. In many instances, it almost seems that the conflicting parties have a distinct preference for allying not with their supposed brothers in spirit, but with their ideological opposites. The proverb 'the enemy of my enemy is my friend' seems a better guide to the Middle East conflict landscape. This raises questions about the role that narratives have played, and still play, in Middle East conflicts, and how much these stories produce or only mirror realities on the ground.
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