Lisa Anderson, for her part, acknowledges that some of the criticisms of area studies, especially in the Middle East, have been valid. She calls for further research, with a careful eye to social science theories, to build on the developments of the past decade. Similarly, Clement M. Henry places the banking sector in the Middle East in a broader comparative framework by engaging the concept of civil society. Augustus Richard Norton also explores the concept of civil society to the Middle East, arguing that it is a useful construct for understanding the politics of the region. To his credit, Norton shuns cultural-based explanations of authoritarianism in the region.
Several chapters offer convincing analyses of data sets.
Nachtwey and Tessler examine public opinion data to assess the attitudes of women toward Islamist political movements. Magda Kandil treats economic factors that influence individuals decisions to migrate from Egypt and the impact of immigration on individuals and countries. The three chapters are strong exemplars of the usefulness of quantitative inquiry. As sophisticated methodologists have noted, all research is qualitative including quantitative analysis in that it involves interpretation and persuasion. Historian Laura Zittrain Eisenberg, in her chapter, devotes analysis to the diplomatic trajectory of the Arab-Israeli conflict, employing a model that is useful not only to academic historians but also, potentially, to policymakers as well.