This book examines the reasons behind the current political and social chaos in Yemen. Comparing recent history with current events, it provides essential historical background to understanding the situation as in large part an expression of authoritarian rule.

Introduction 1. Yemen's Social Pathologies beyond the Strategic Mainstream 2. The Local Scramble for Ascendancy and the Rise of Modern Polities 3. The Contingent State: The Dynamics of Administrating Yemen 4. The Frontier as a Measure of Modern State Power 5. Unification and the Roots of Salih's Authoritarian Push. Conclusion

Isa Blumi, Assistant Professor at Georgia State University's History Department and Middle East Institute, is author of numerous articles on the modern Middle East's history that focus especially on late imperial rivalries in the Arabian Gulf and Yemen as well as issues of Muslim identity in the context of modernity. A former Fulbright-Hayes, Woodrow Wilson, SSRC, ACLS, and AIYS fellow, among his publications is the book, Rethinking the Late Ottoman Empire (2003) and articles appearing in International Journal of Middle East Studies, Comparative Studies of South Asia, Africa and the Middle East, and Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies.