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Dubai: The Vulnerability of Success
Christopher Davidson's study of Dubai aims to evenhandedly tackle the city's history, politics, security, economics, and society. The city's rulers were so unhappy about the subjects discussed that they initially attempted to ban it. So why did I not lap it up?
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Posted by dubaiwalla at 11:27 AM | Comments (5) | TrackBack
Crush the Cell: How to Defeat Terrorism Without Terrorizing Ourselves
Simply put: this is a damn good book about fighting al-Qaeda, especially when one considers it was written by a member of the US counterintelligence establishment. It has shortcomings especially if one is, as I am, disturbed by some of the author's proposed counterterrorism solutions (more "random" searches, wiretaps,etc.). Still, there is a gem of informed and corrective common sense on just about every other page. (An update to this review may address many of those.)
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Posted by Matthew Hogan at 11:28 PM | Comments (17) | TrackBack
Oil Monarchies
Gregory Gause is one of the best scholars of the Gulf, and this book is a good example of why.
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Posted by dubaiwalla at 10:56 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
From Arab Nationalism to OPEC
This book examines the development of the US relationship with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia as it first developed, in the Truman and Eisenhower Administrations.
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Posted by dubaiwalla at 12:14 PM | Comments (4) | TrackBack
Guardians of the Gulf
Guardians of the Gulf examines America's increasing role in the Gulf region, starting in the late 19th century. It describes how American involvement in the region gradually increased until 1992, the end point of the events described therein. The book is not without its weaknesses- it focuses heavily on the 1980s and goes into excruciating detail on Iraq's invasion of Kuwait and consequent repulsion therefrom- but it is useful in appreciating America's many entanglements in the region. Most importantly, it delves into how America's largely commercial relationships with Gulf countries gradually evolved, eventually leading the former to its current role as a regional political-military hegemon.
Posted by dubaiwalla at 02:41 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
The Ottoman Gulf: The Creation of Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Qatar
This neat little volume is a good companion to more general works about the creation of the modern Middle East, such as David Fromkin's A Peace to End All Peace. It traces the short-lived revival of Ottoman authority in the upper Persian Gulf, from its aggressive and promising start on the heels of the Tanzimat Reforms in the latter half of the 19th century, to its gradual retreat again in the early 20th. This re-expansion of a what had always been a rarely exercised authority was incomplete to begin with. It never reached as far as the British influenced 'Trucial States' (the future UAE), extending tentatively south only to frequently besieged Qatar, which traded one distant and somewhat ineffective protector for another.
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Posted by Tamerlane at 10:58 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Saudi Arabia in the Balance
Want a book about Saudi Arabia doesn't sensationalize or apologize for the country? This is a good bet- it's a collection of expert essays covering enough about the country's history, ideology, political system, economy, security situation, and foreign policy that you can get a feel of what actually goes on inside the country. Although it is sometimes heavy reading, the material inside is solid, and the essays by Madawi Al-Rasheed (Circles of Power: Royals and Society in Saudi Arabia) and Rachel Bronson (Understanding US-Saudi Relations) alone make it worth a look.
Posted by dubaiwalla at 04:07 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
