ABSTRACT
The coming decade is likely to be one of significant volatility and change in the Middle East and North Africa. Both internal factors, such as growing societal debate over the role of Islam and increasing tension between nascent civil society and existing regimes, and external factors, including continued integration into the global economy and the presence of foreign military forces, will contribute to this volatility. This chapter examines the underlying reasons for this instability, and the issues that are likely to dominate inter-state and international relations in the near future.
