Unipolarity and Insurgencies in the Middle East 1948-91

Insurgencies in Afghanistan and Iraq that the United States currently faces parallel a worldwide phenomenon of increasing insurgent wars. This rise, occurring since World War II, has been attributed to many factors; however, there have been few studies that have tried to understand this rise. This study is the outcome of the examination of two important and interrelated questions that have come to dominate much of the discourse on insurgencies: (1) why are there more insurgencies today, and (2) will this pattern of more insurgencies continue into the future? While much has been published both on the unipolarity's effects on international and regional environments as well as asymmetric conflicts/ insurgencies, there is very little that examines both. Despite the fact that the unipolar system has been considered a candidate as the leading contributor to the rash of insurgencies, there is a gap in research examining this link.