Preface.

• Author: Krenawi, Alean Al-

SOCIAL WORK HAS BEEN IN THE ARAB world for nearly 70 years. As several of the articles in this special edition point out, social work thinking is undergoing a probable evolution towards still greater rigor. The present special edition intends to capture several of the more interesting and major areas of concern that are relevant to social work in the Arab world and that capture the sense of sophistication that is representing social work theory and knowledge.

Social policy is fundamental to all areas of social work: the bedrock upon which practices and services are carried out. This issue begins with a very comprehensive outline of social policy developments in Iraq prior to the 2003 invasion. As Shereen Ismael points out, social objectives have been superceded by more immediate political concerns, particularly since the 1990-91 Gulf War. Sherifa Zuhur continues the discussion, with reference to women in the Arab world. Political and economic concerns are likewise seminal in the possibilities of empowering women. Women in the Arab world, as she points out, "are by no means globally empowered. It seems that everywhere, economic and political power appear to be equally necessary components of empowerment. Women's disproportionate lack of political power is accompanied by their status as the majority of the poor." Professor A. Okasha writes about mental health services. Political will, economic circumstances, and historic trends are among those factors that influence "per capita mental health services, the availability of a mental health act, the space allocated for mental health in medical curricula and the nature of the mental health challenges as identified by mental health professionals in the different Arab countries." While such policy concerns are seminal to social work, so too do strategies for delivering services figure prominently. Khawla Abu Baker's nuanced analysis of marital problems uses a case narrative to help explain the...