Sectarianization: The new politics of the Middle East

'Sectarianization: Mapping the New Politics of the Middle East' edited by Nader Hashemi and Danny Postel (Hurst, 384 pages, £20)

In his last State of the Union speech in 2016, Barack Obama invoked history to explain the current meltdown in the Middle East. The region "is going through a transformation that will play out for a generation, rooted in conflicts that date back millennia," Obama said. This idea of "ancient sectarian animosity" certainly has a tenacious hold on the public. Sunnis and Shiites, it is said, have been locked in a hate-filled conflict since the Battle of Karbala in the 7th century.

Sensible commentators have long pushed back against this simplistic thesis. "Sectarianization: Mapping the New Politics of the Middle East" is a new collection of articles penned by top-drawer scholars, showing that the rise of sectarianism is a modern phenomenon with fiendishly complex roots. The book takes in a diverse range of countries - from Bahrain to Pakistan - and is largely intended for academics and professionals working in politics and development. But it is a broadly accessible and stimulating volume. Like much of the pushback, its effect on popular conversation is likely to be limited; that does not mean its core idea is wrong. 

Of course, the Islamic world has not always been a wasteland torn apart by violence committed in the name of sectarian identity. Sunni-Shia relations were not always conflict-ridden, nor was sectarianism a strong political force in modern Muslim politics until recently. Syrians and Iraqis with different sectarian identities coexisted for centuries without mass bloodshed. So why has vicious, deadly sectarianism emerged now? The answer resists all sweeping theories. Behind the current turmoil...