ABSTRACT
Some countries in the Middle East like Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, and several of the states of the Arabian Peninsula are as urbanized as the USA. Others, such as Algeria, Egypt, Iran and Iraq with less urbanization, still have great cities with large populations. Among the issues that define divisions in societies and, in some extreme circumstances, become part of the roots of armed conflict, one that seems to receive surprisingly little attention is the urban/rural divide. Urbanization is classically the result of growing economic wealth and industrialization, as people are either forced off the land or leave it in search of new jobs and opportunities in the towns and cities. Urban populations cannot rely on their own farming for their food; they must rely on jobs and wages. When urbanization happens without commensurate increases in national wealth, there are not enough jobs to provide city-dwellers with adequate family incomes.
