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Title: A History of the Modern Middle East by William L. Cleveland ISBN: 0-8133-3489-6 Publisher: Westview Press Pub. Date: January, 2000 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $51.00 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.75 (12 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: Excellent background reading for all Americans
Comment: The Middle East is such a multi-faced region with such a rich historical legacy that even people who strive to be well-informed cannot help but feel bewildered at its cultural, political, and religious complexity. Given the blustering aggressiveness of the post-September 11 U.S. policy toward the region, however, Americans owe it to themselves to become far more familiar with the complexities of the Middle East than has been our wont up to now.
Popular magazine articles that attempt to "explain" Islamic rage as the result of a "fear of modernity" or "jealousy of the west's freedoms" may as well bear a stamp proclaiming their authorship by the "Ministry of Propaganda." As an alternative, I recommend Professor Cleveland's textbook, which serves as a brief but remarkably thorough introduction to the history of this volatile part of the world.
No, the book does not cover Afghanistan or Pakistan, but clearly political currents in these nations are closely linked with what has transpired in Palestine, Iraq, Syria, Egypt, Lebanon, and the rest of the Middle East proper. At the heart of the current crisis is, of course, the Israeli-Palestinian condundrum, and here the author's explanations and analyses are clear, balanced, and incisive. His discussions of the evolution of Saddam Hussein's Iraq and the background *and consequences* of the 1991 Gulf War are also invaluable. In his recounting of the Iranian revolution, Cleveland offers a fascinating analysis of the apparent Islamicist rejection of "modernity," showing that those in the Middle East who reject the West do not crave a return to the ancient past, but instead wish to follow a modernization pathway that is guided by indigenous cultural principles, including the precepts of Islam.
Perhaps most impressive, however, is what Cleveland has to say toward the end of the book regarding the dangers of an overly intrusive and domineering presence in the Islamic Middle East by the lone remaining planetary superpower, the U.S. He does not prophesy the recent terrorism that has afflicted this country, but he does criticize the U.S. for policies that seem to rely more upon aerial bombardment than careful diplomacy. The application of Cleveland's conclusions to a reevaluation of the likely long-term consequences of "America's new war" is not a comforting process, but it's one that perhaps more Americans need to undertake.
Rating: 5
Summary: A student taking modern middle history
Comment: The first thing that might come to a student's mind with a history textbook would be the words: tedious, dull and unexciting. And do not worry because Cleveland possesses none of these negative qualities. Cleveland covers every topic on the modern Middle East to Oslo agreements and Muhammad Ali in Egypt. The book explains the history of a foreign culture and region that many people do not understand and he writes it in an easy to read format. I promise that it will not be the most exciting book in the world to read, but it will offer you knowledge on the Middle East that only a few actually understand and know. I am a history major at Indiana State University and took a course on modern Middle Eastern history taught by Robert Hunter that wrote "The Palestinian Uprising: A War by Other Means."
I considered Cleveland's textbook on the Modern Middle East a great source of history. After reading this book, I guarantee that you will better understand the present-day crisis in the Middle East than over ninety-five percent of the people in the United States.
Rating: 2
Summary: Not for the person totally unfamilar with Middle East
Comment: It is with some reluctance that I offer this review. It is meant only as constructive criticism of a book written by an extremely knowledgeable author. I think this book would be great as a textbook for a formal class or for someone already somewhat familiar with the history and geography of the region. However, I started with neither. I only had only the desire to learn the background of a region that figures prominently in today's events. For me, the book delved into too much detail, the author describing all the intricacies of each transition of influence and power. There was more detail than I could comprehend outside of a classroom environment.
If I could put the rest of my life on hold and go into study mode, perhaps I could absorb more. In my opinion, this is one of those books where the author is so intimately familiar with the material that he forgets just how ignorant the reader may be. I also thought the book contained far too few maps. I finally purchased some additional maps but with all the boundary and name changes, maps are required much more frequently to illustrate what is occurring.
I carried this book with me for a year trying to get through it. I had to force myself to read it and I never did complete it. I have now ordered another book that I hope will be easier reading.
I did learn many things from the portion of the book I read and I have a vague Idea what happened from the beginning of Islam through the period prior to World War 1. However, that is where I finally gave up.
I am not saying this is a bad book. In the right hands, I think it would be a wonderful book. That said, I believe the book is not for people looking for background that cannot study it as a textbook. The target audience of this book may not be people such as myself and I may have selected a totally inappropriate text.
There are many aspects of the history of the Middle East that do not lend themselves to easy reading. However, some authors can make history live, for nothing is as interesting as history. No novel can spin a wilder tale than history itself. This book just did not make history live for me. I will save it and perhaps one day when I have more background, I will read it again.
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Title: Palestine and the Arab-Israeli Conflict by Charles D. Smith ISBN: 0312208286 Publisher: Bedford/St. Martin's Pub. Date: November, 2000 List Price(USD): $49.00 |
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Title: A Peace to End All Peace: The Fall of the Ottoman Empire and the Creation of the Modern Middle East by David Fromkin ISBN: 0805068848 Publisher: Owl Books Pub. Date: 01 September, 2001 List Price(USD): $20.00 |
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Title: Rethinking Nationalism in the Arab Middle East by Israel Gershoni, James Jankowski ISBN: 0231106955 Publisher: Columbia University Press Pub. Date: 15 April, 1997 List Price(USD): $23.50 |
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Title: Sources in the History of the Modern Middle East by Akram Fouad Khater ISBN: 0395980674 Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Co Pub. Date: 01 January, 1900 List Price(USD): $43.56 |
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Title: The Israel-Arab Reader: A Documentary History of the Middle East Conflict by Walter Laqueur, Barry Rubin ISBN: 0140297138 Publisher: Penguin USA (Paper) Pub. Date: 07 August, 2001 List Price(USD): $17.00 |
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