James L. Gelvin

It's short, it's packed with information, it's in a question & answer format... there's very little not to love. You will learn, whether you want to or not; and this should be required reading for journalists and editorialists. Okay, there are two things not to like: first, it's like reading 160 pages of wikileaks cables, albeit with only the important stuff left in. Second, he insists on calling middle eastern capitalists 'crony capitalists.' It's not clear to me how they're any different from our capitalists, other than being new arrivals to the system in which they get rich and millions of others do not. Different from perfect capitalism, yes; from actually existing capitalists, no. Is that important in the context of this book? Not at all. Highly recommended.… (altro)

This is a brisk and pretty informative introductory survey of the history of the Middle East, in which Gelvin attempts to explain contemporary events in the region by looking at how two key forces of modernity have shaped it. The first is global capitalism; the second, the system of nation-states. It's probably unfair to criticise him for simplifying certain things, or omitting particular events, when trying to write a book of this scope on this scale. Some things just have to be left out. However, I did think he could have spent a little more time, if not expanding on certain areas, then on thinking some of his ideas through a little more. For instance, Gelvin does discuss the problematic nature of the term "modernity" and why he thinks it's still useful, but I have to admit that as a historian of the pre-modern era, I really dislike the term and find it presentist, and nothing in Gelvin's argument really swayed me from that opinion. As a chronology, then, the book is useful, but I'm not sure that I entirely buy its narrative underpinnings.

The conclusion has acquired an unintended interest from the events which occurred surely as this third edition was heading into print—Gelvin, it seems, wouldn't have predicted the events of the Arab Spring any more than would have most other outside observers. No doubt there will be some interesting comparisons to be made between this version of the book and its successor.… (altro)

This is a useful introduction to the history and politics of the region. Covered in a question-and-answer format that makes it pretty easy to read and absorb. While academic in tone (not surprisingly), this brief exploration is not overly weighed-down with footnotes and references. It's nice that most of these references are on the Web.

If you're looking for a way to start understanding what's happening in Egypt, Syria, Libya and the other Arab countries living through uprisings, this is the book. You'll also learn more about US foreign policy too.… (altro)