Conflict management in the Middle East INTRODUCTION

Purpose - This introduction aims to summarize five studies in this special issue on conflict management in the Middle East. These studies highlight how conflict management research relates to important issues in this critical region of the world. Design/methodology/approach - The five studies were combined into this single issue so that readers can compare, contrast, and integrate scholarship from many countries, including Egypt, Iran, Israel, Lebanon, and Turkey, and cultures in this region. Findings - The studies show that several conceptualizations of national culture can help in understanding and predicting negotiation and conflict management behaviors in this region. Research implications - The studies show the need for future research on conflict management in the Middle East and show that theories and methods used in other countries and cultures can be adapted to this region. Originality/value - Four of the five studies used original data not reported elsewhere and gathered in countries that have not been reported in prior studies.