The emergence of the modern nation-state in the Middle East has also produced a concentration in coercive power. The region now harbors numerous mukhabarat states that extensively police and incarcerate its citizens, engage in widespread torture, and implement spectacular punishments. This volume is the first to systematically examine these practices within modern Middle East states, unraveling the complex operations of state power and the unforeseen consequences of popular politics. The study identifies the colonial origins and post-independence genesis of policing and incarceration among a variety of states and links the centrality of criminalization to dissident politics. It also maps the micropractices of policing and incarceration and sketches the ambiguous boundaries between the police and the military.