摘要
By comparison with the ＂Arab Spring＂ that swept through the whole ＇region in 2011 and the political transition evident in many Arab countries in 2012, political development in the Middle East in 2013, to many observers, seemed lost in chaos. Arab countries undergoing political change were plagued by disorder, volatility, and violence.
In 2013 four characteristics defined the situation in the Middle East—political "chaos" in the Arab world, "flux and reflux" between moderate and radical Islamists, geopolitical shocks caused by the withdrawal of the U.S., and uncertainty over the Iranian nuclear issue. The influence of volatility and newly regrouped geopolitical factors mean the situation in the Middle East will remain turbulent for a relatively long time unless deep-seated resolution of major issues involves mature governance.
