Author: Saeed ShiraziPublisher: Ketab.com
ISBN: 159584600X
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 355
Book Description
Empires and Anarchies
Author: Michael Quentin MortonPublisher: Reaktion Books
ISBN: 1780238614
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 265
Book Description
Oil lies at the heart of the modern history of the Middle East. For decades, the world’s largest oil reserves have enriched the region’s nations. But oil wealth has not brought with it universal prosperity. It has, though, transformed the Middle Eastern people and societies—enriching empires and engendering anarchies. Empires and Anarchies is an unconventional history of oil in the Middle East. In Michael Quentin Morton’s account the burnt-out remains of Saddam Hussein’s armaments and the human tragedy of the Arab Spring are as much of the story as the shimmering skylines of oil-rich nations. From the first explorers trudging through the desert to the excesses of the Peacock Throne and the high stakes of OPEC, Morton lays out the history of oil in compelling detail, arguing that oil simultaneously enriched and fractured the Middle East, eroding traditional ways of life, and eventually contributing to the rise of Islamic radicalism. The book is essential reading for anyone interested in the promises and peril of the world’s oil boom.
War and Peace in the Middle East
Author: Avi ShlaimPublisher: Viking Books
ISBN:
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 170
Book Description
"The recent Israel-PLO accord is only the most recent surprise in a region whose politics often seem complex to the point of mysteriousness. How can Americans decipher the latest diplomatic tilt, rumor of war, or threat to oil supplies? Where will the Middle East's centuries-old quest for self-determination lead?" "An Oxford professor of international relations finds answers in a historical context that is often overlooked. With a special focus on the last half-century, he illuminates the four phases of external involvement - the Ottoman, the European, the Superpower, and the American - that have molded the political evolution of the Middle East. He assesses the past roles of Britain, France, and the former Soviet Union, clarifies how power and influence have shifted in the aftermath of the Cold War, and appraises both the recurrent myopia of the United States and its essential function as a mediator." "Shrewd, witty, and highly readable, War and Peace in the Middle East offers invaluable insights, for the student and the general reader, into one of the most volatile subsystems of international politics."--BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved
A History of the Middle East
Author: Peter MansfieldPublisher: Penguin UK
ISBN: 0141989556
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 373
Book Description
The definitive history of the Middle East, now updated in its fifth edition 'The best overall survey of the politics, regional rivalries and economics of the contemporary Arab world' Washington Post Over the centuries the Middle East has confounded the dreams of conquerors and peacemakers alike. This now-classic book follows the historic struggles of the region over the last two hundred years, from Napoleon's assault on Egypt, through the slow decline and fall of the Ottoman Empire, to the painful emergence of modern nations. It is now fully updated with extensive new material examining recent developments including the aftermaths of the 'Arab Spring', the continuing Arab-Israeli conflict and the Syrian and Yemeni civil wars. 'An excellent political overview' Guardian
The End of Modern History in the Middle East
Author: Bernard LewisPublisher: Hoover Press
ISBN: 0817912967
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 217
Book Description
Bernard Lewis looks at the new era in the Middle East. With the departure of imperial powers, the region must now, on its own, resolve the political, economic, cultural, and societal problems that prevent it from accomplishing the next stage in the advance of civilization. There is enough in the traditional culture of Islam on the one hand and the modern experience of the Muslim peoples on the other, he explains, to provide the basis for an advance toward freedom in the true sense of that word.
Crisis and Crossfire
Author: Peter L. HahnPublisher: Potomac Books, Inc.
ISBN: 1597973475
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 294
Book Description
Although it seems almost incredible today, the United States had relatively little interest in the Middle East before 1945. But the dynamics and outcome of World War II elevated the importance of the Middle East in the American mind, and the United States has viewed the region with vital interest to its security and economy ever since. The projection of American power into the region has had consequences that have forever changed the United States and the Middle East, with the rise of al Qaeda and the turbulent occupation of Iraq being the latest examples. Crisis and Crossfire surveys and analyzes the broad contours of U.S. involvement in the region. It probes the reasons why the United States implemented various policies and assesses the wisdom of American leaders as they accepted greater responsibilities for preserving stability and security in the Middle East. Major themes include U.S.-Middle East policy in the context of the Cold War, the rise of Arab and Iranian nationalism, decolonization, the U.S. approach to the Arab-Israeli conflict, the politics of Western dependence on Middle Eastern oil, and America's military interventions, particularly its two wars against Iraq. This book's concise narrative and selection of primary-source documents make it an ideal introduction to U.S.-Middle East relations for students and for anyone with an interest in understanding the history behind today's events.
A Concise History of Sunnis and Shi`is
Author: John McHugoPublisher: Saqi Books
ISBN: 0863561586
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 409
Book Description
The 1400-year-old schism between Sunnis and Shi`is has rarely been as toxic as it is today, feeding wars and communal strife in Syria, Iraq, Yemen, Pakistan, Afghanistan and many other countries, with tensions between Saudi Arabia and Iran escalating. In this richly layered and engrossing account, John McHugo reveals how this great divide occurred. Charting the story of Islam from the lifetime of the Prophet Muhammad to the present day, he describes the conflicts that raged over the succession to the Prophet, how Sunnism and Shi`ism evolved as different sects during the Abbasid caliphate, and how the rivalry between the empires of the Sunni Ottomans and Shi`i Safavids contrived to ensure that the split would continue into modern times. Now its full, destructive force has been brought out by the struggle between Saudi Arabia and Iran for the soul of the Muslim world. Definitive and insightful, A Concise History of Sunnis and Shi`is shows that there was nothing inevitable about the sectarian conflicts that now disfigure Islam. It is an essential guide to understanding the genesis, development and manipulation of the great schism that has come to define Islam and the Muslim world.
Author: Avi ShlaimA History of the Middle East
Author: Georges CormPublisher: Garnet & Ithaca Press
ISBN: 9781859642207
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 236
Book Description
Offers an account of the history of the Middle East from before Islam. In order to paint a true picture of this complex part of the world, situated at the crossroads of three continents, this work examines the 'geographical foundations' on which the Anatolian, Iranian, Mesopotamian and Egyptian empires were built.
Women in the Middle East
Author: Nikki R. KeddiePublisher: Princeton University Press
ISBN: 140084505X
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 432
Book Description
Written by a pioneer in the field of Middle Eastern women's history, Women in the Middle East is a concise, comprehensive, and authoritative history of the lives of the region's women since the rise of Islam. Nikki Keddie shows why hostile or apologetic responses are completely inadequate to the diversity and richness of the lives of Middle Eastern women, and she provides a unique overview of their past and rapidly changing present. The book also includes a brief autobiography that recounts Keddie's political activism as one of the first women in Middle East Studies. Positioning women within their individual economic situations, identities, families, and geographies, Women in the Middle East examines the experiences of women in the Ottoman Empire and Turkey, in Iran, and in all the Arab countries. Keddie discusses the interaction of a changing Islam with political, cultural, and socioeconomic developments. In doing so, she shows that, like other major religions, Islam incorporated ideas and practices of male superiority but also provoked challenges to them. Keddie breaks with notions of Middle Eastern women as faceless victims, and assesses their involvement in the rise of modern nationalist, socialist, and Islamist movements. While acknowledging that conservative trends are strong, she notes that there have been significant improvements in Middle Eastern women's suffrage, education, marital choice, and health.
