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Title: Resurrecting Empire: Western Footprints and America's Perilous Path in the Middle East by Rashid Khalidi ISBN: 0-8070-0234-8 Publisher: Beacon Press Pub. Date: 15 May, 2004 Format: Hardcover Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $23.00 |
Average Customer Rating: 4 (3 reviews)
Rating: 2
Summary: Saw the Charlie Rose interview, read the book too
Comment: I was inspired to buy and read this book after watching the Charlie Rose interview with Mr. Khalidi. (Someone else watched the interview and posted a comment here, but I suspect they didn't actually read the book.)
One *has* to listen to what Mr. Khalidi has to say. He has travelled extensively in the Middle East, I believe he speaks the language, has relatives there, and has spent the greater part of his adult life studying the history and culture of the region. He is also no stranger to American history, culture and politics. You may not like him or his opinions, but very few of us are more qualified to comment on the interactions between the two cultures than he is.
That said, one must really want to read this book to finish it. A review on the jacket described the book as "accessible" - I respectfully disagree. Khalidi is an academic, and the writing style reflects this. Every sentence runs on and on, with multiple digressions and clarifications. Near the end of the book, I found I could comprehend more by reading the first part of a sentence, then skipping to the end to find the closing. A lot of readable and interesting material has been relegated to 'notes' at the end of the book. A few simple maps and diagrams would have helped a lot.
I was left with the impression that the book was hastily written and rushed to press with little editing. I don't think it met its objective of getting facts about the Iraq war to the masses. I personally had a difficult time finding a coherent message - I could not tell anyone what I read, just a day after finishing it. I think if the material were rewritten in a more "accessible" style and more carefully organized to convey one or two key messages, it would probably make a very good feature article in something like New Yorker magazine, rather than a whole book.
Rating: 5
Summary: What You Need To Know About The Middle East
Comment: You can read this book in a single evening. You will then know more about the Middle East and the Iraq War than anybody in a position of authority in the Bush Administration, with the possible exception of Secretary of State Colin Powell, who does not seem to have much influence on what happens.
At the end of the book, Professor Khalidi has this to say about the "exorbitant price" of imperial adventures in the Middle East, such as those of Britain, France and now the United States of America: "This is a price -- in lives, in treasure, and in reputation -- that we as Americans should think very carefully about, before submitting to the siren song of those who tell us that empire is easy and cheap, and that in any case the price is worth paying."
Rating: 5
Summary: Thoughtful, sensitive and knowledgeable work
Comment: As an American from Turkey, I am impressed with Prof. Khalidi's depth of understanding of Iraq and Middle East, and, of course, our country's not so successful relationship with Middle East. It is easy to hurl insults by some Americans to all that is not American (see the comments by a reviewer from Chicago below) but we have previously experienced our "imperialistic" tendencies in Vietnam when we're not clear about our reasons for being there. We left after terrible sacrifices and, behold, Vietnam turned out to be a friend down the road. No thanks to us, they are doing fine as an independent country. Prof. Khalidi brings a similar sensitivity to our goals, methods and end games in Iraq and the rest of the Middle East. His approach is refreshing, honest, clear and doable. Bush administration may not like the objective outside voices but most administrations do not. This isn't the time to be pig-headed but to be level-headed and extremely clear. Prof. K. brings that thoughtfulness. Those who'd like to "nuke" any country who doesn't do what we tell it, will not like this book.
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Title: Plan of Attack by Bob Woodward ISBN: 074325547X Publisher: Simon & Schuster Pub. Date: 19 April, 2004 List Price(USD): $28.00 |
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Title: The Sorrows of Empire : Militarism, Secrecy, and the End of the Republic [The American Empire Project ] by Chalmers Johnson ISBN: 0805070044 Publisher: Metropolitan Books Pub. Date: 13 January, 2004 List Price(USD): $25.00 |
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Title: Good Muslim, Bad Muslim : America, the Cold War, and the Roots of Terror by Mahmood Mamdani ISBN: 0375422854 Publisher: Pantheon Books Pub. Date: 20 April, 2004 List Price(USD): $24.00 |
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Title: Hegemony or Survival: America's Quest for Global Dominance (The American Empire Project) by Noam Chomsky ISBN: 0805074007 Publisher: Metropolitan Books Pub. Date: 04 November, 2003 List Price(USD): $22.00 |
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Title: Rise of the Vulcans: The History of Bush's War Cabinet by Jim Mann, James Mann ISBN: 0670032999 Publisher: Viking Press Pub. Date: 08 March, 2004 List Price(USD): $25.95 |
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