From the "Great Arab Revolt" against Ottoman rule in World War I to the upheavals of the Arab Spring, this text analyzes a century of modern Arab history through the lens of three intertwined notions: the idea of a single Arab nation, the reality of multiple Arab states, and the competition between them over both concrete and symbolic interests. These concepts are presented against the background of Great Power involvement in the region, regional issues such as the Arab-Israeli conflict and the Iran-Iraq war, and the rise of political Islam.

The emergence of Arab nationalism : one nation, many states.Arab nationalism: modest beginnings ; World War I and its aftermath: the Arab Revolt and unrealized expectations ; State-building and nation-building in adverse circumstances ; The dynastic era : upheaval, revolution and transition (1945-1954) ; The radical heyday (1955-1967) -- From order to disorder : the triumph and decline of Arab states. After the June 1967 debacle : picking up the pieces (1967-1970) ; Diminished leadership : Egypt and the Arab order in the Sadat-Mubarak era (1970-2010) ; Failed aspirations, failed state : Iraq under Saddam, and beyond (1968-2010) ; Syria under the Asad dynasty : from weak state to aspiring regional power (1970-2010) ; Symbol versus substance : the Palestinian movement in the Arab firmament since 1967 ; The Arab Spring : disorder and disintegration -- Concluding observations : whither the Arab system? Whither the Arab state?