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Title: The Arabists: The Romance of an American Elite by Robert D. Kaplan ISBN: 0-02-874023-8 Publisher: Free Press Pub. Date: July, 1995 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $17.00 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.14 (7 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: History of a State Department Clique
Comment: Kaplan strings together pearls of biography to create a historical review of an interesting segment of the State Department's Foreign Service. Beginning with T.E. Lawrence and several other well-known British, the author weaves together a story of diplomatic intrigue in the Middle East. I found two particular segments especially fascinating - the rescue of Jewish Falashas from Sudan and the history leading up to the Gulf War with Iraq, in light of a potential repeat in world affairs.
Although Kaplan does highlight the tensions between Arabists and those with pro-Israeli sympathies, the work serves to demonstrate through historical biography the evolution of western influence in the region. He makes the case that the Palestinian-Israeli issue has not strictly defined the Middle East. Kaplan doesn't write from personal recollection, however, as he did with Balkan Ghosts. This book is research based through reading and extensive interviews with many from the State Department and elsewhere.
The last portion of the book focuses on events in the State Department leading up to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. Kaplan blasts many of the Arabists, former ambassador to Iraq April Glaspie foremost among them, for attempting to appease Saddam. Although he qualifies his critique by portraying a lack of policy emphasis from Washington leaving the embassy staffs in the Middle East to find their own way forward, Kaplan claims the Arabists continued to view Iraq and other totalitarian regimes through rose colored glasses. Had they represented U.S. interests instead of romanticizing from within embassy walls, he argues that our diplomats could have sent Saddam the signal that the U.S. would respond to aggression.
Overall, I found the book provided an interesting historical background on the Middle East region through the eyes of the diplomats that have served there. Kaplan provides good background reading up to Operation Desert Storm in 1991. Given the current tension surrounding the Iraqi regime, I found much of the book relevant to contemporary affairs. Well worth the read!
Rating: 4
Summary: A must read for anyone interested in the middle east
Comment: Mr. Kaplan does an excellent job of pulling together information, quotations, and raw data from numerous sources to paint a compelling picture of the forces that shaped this mysterious, interesting, and oft-misunderstood region.
More balanced than one would expect for a book with this title, Mr. Kaplan nicely straddles the line between fact and commentary, with only a couple times succumbing to interjections of personal opinion. However, without such points, a rather dry, far less thought-provoking, piece of academia would have resulted.
A book guaranteed to broaden the knowledge of anyone interested in this fascinating part of the world.
Rating: 3
Summary: Fictional, Entertaining, but Mistaken
Comment: The book is beautfully written and a joy to read. It should be read like a novel, not a scholarly source. The author does not cross-reference the material, and very frequently uses anonymous quotations. More importantly it is based on a mistaken premise: that the 'Arabists' worked, in opposition to the Israelists in the State Department, to promote the Arab interests, especially the Palestinian cause. The fact of the matter is that those depolomats called Arabists genuinely worked for the momentary interests of the United States government in their broadest sense and carried out policies that they were convinced would soon jeopardise the interests of the United States and put it on a collision course with the Arab and Muslim worlds. While Israelists (not only the Kissinger camp) staunchingly promoted the interests of Israel and were very successful at that, the Arabists never mustered the courage to go against an adminstration's dangerous policies in the Middle East and their enthusiasm for the Arabs did not go beyond collecting rugs and trikets.
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Title: Soldiers of God: With Islamic Warriors in Afghanistan and Pakistan by Robert D. Kaplan, Robert D. Kaplan ISBN: 1400030250 Publisher: Vintage Pub. Date: 27 November, 2001 List Price(USD): $14.00 |
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Title: The Coming Anarchy : Shattering the Dreams of the Post Cold War by Robert D. Kaplan ISBN: 037570759X Publisher: Vintage Pub. Date: 13 February, 2001 List Price(USD): $12.00 |
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Title: Eastward to Tartary : Travels in the Balkans, the Middle East, and the Caucasus by Robert D. Kaplan ISBN: 0375705767 Publisher: Vintage Pub. Date: October, 2001 List Price(USD): $14.00 |
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Title: An Empire Wilderness : Travels into America's Future by Robert D. Kaplan ISBN: 0679776877 Publisher: Vintage Pub. Date: 07 September, 1999 List Price(USD): $14.00 |
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Title: Balkan Ghosts : A Journey Through History by Robert D. Kaplan ISBN: 0679749810 Publisher: Vintage Pub. Date: 15 March, 1994 List Price(USD): $14.00 |
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