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18th - 20th century
Mark Twain's "The Innocents Abroad"
Coincidentally, I re-picked up this 1867 humorous classic travelogue of Mark Twain's for a (re-)glance not too long after Mr. Netanyahu had threatened to (re-)use it for sundry and sordid Middle East polemics. The Israeli Prime Minister had planned to deliver a copy as a gift to Barack Obama last year.
(There's also some general literary special interest in Twain's works going on now, because 2010 is the centenary year of his death.)
The Innocents Abroad tells the tales of the legendary American writer's long trip across Europe and the Near East in the late 1860s. He wrote a series of diary-based articles based on the journey. These ultimately became the book. The travel humor is alive and well today, and not especially outdated, and relates well to the ups and downs of modern tourism. The work, however, is also oft-quoted these days by some Israel supporters, hence Netanyahu's literary excursion.
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Posted by Matthew Hogan at 09:38 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
The Birth of Modern Yemen
You know a country must have issues when its problems stick out in a region as troubled as the Middle East. Brian Whitaker's latest book examines the tumultuous course of events in Yemen during the early 1990s.
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Posted by dubaiwalla at 03:18 AM | Comments (7) | TrackBack
Under the Cover of War: the Zionist Expulsion of the Palestinians
The Arab-Israeli conflict is central to any discussion of Middle Eastern history over the past few decades, and the fate of Palestinian refugees lies at the heart of problem. In her book, Rosemarie Esber examines the last few months of Mandate rule in the Holy Land, in order to discuss how Palestinians ended up leaving their homes. She concludes that they departed primarily as the result of a campaign of violent intimidation that could be termed ethnic cleansing, and describes this in some detail.
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Posted by dubaiwalla at 09:01 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
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
Imperial Legacy: The Ottoman Imprint on the Balkans and the Middle East
The term "Ottoman" does not often evoke a positive response. Few empires have been as villified as this one. Detractors include its own Muslim subjects - a majority of the intelligentsia I would venture - who accuse the empire of being responsible for their current backwardness. The heirs of its former Christian subjects perceive it as a long era of oppression. The heirs of its former Christian rivals see it as the embodiement of Islamic expansionism, an alien Asiatic, Oriental, Turkic state which threatened Europe. Few identify the Ottoman Empire as a direct part of their own heritage.
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Posted by Iskandar Haddad at 09:57 PM | Comments (3) | 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
All the Shah's Men
A riveting read, All the Shah's Men tells the story of how Prime Minister Mohammed Mossadegh of Iran came to be the first head of government in the world to be overthrown by the CIA.
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Posted by dubaiwalla at 01:53 PM | Comments (1) | 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
The Culture of Sectarianism: Community, History, and Violence in Nineteenth-Century Ottoman Lebanon
Guess what - them X-ians & Muslims & Druze haven't been at each other's throats since "time immemorial". Sectarianism started in the mid-19th century and is a modern phenomenon.
Posted by raf* at 07:30 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
The Imperial Harem : Women and Sovereignty in the Ottoman Empire
One of the books that put an end to all the rubbish about "weak Sultans & strong mothers". This one is readable.
Posted by raf* at 07:15 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Arabs and Young Turks: Ottomanism, Arabism, and Islamism in the Ottoman Empire, 1908-1918
The e-book version is free of charge.
Posted by raf* at 07:12 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Urban Forms and Colonial Confrontations: Algiers Under French Rule
The e-book version is free of charge.
Posted by raf* at 07:01 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
An Economic and Social History of the Ottoman Empire
For "advanced" students of the Middle East, this dense two-volume collection is perfect for background reading and reference. Should not be opened by beginners - the danger of turning them off the region is simply too great.
Posted by raf* at 07:01 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Arabic Thought in the Liberal Age 1798-1939
Old-school book on "Arab" intellectual developments and intellectuals. Highly readable.
Posted by raf* at 06:57 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
The Ottoman Empire, 1700-1922
The sequel to Goffman's book. Good, post-nationalist overview.
Posted by raf* at 06:54 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
The Modern Middle East : Revised Edition
Great collection of articles on the "major issues" in MENA history/studies. Good point of departure.
Posted by raf* at 06:52 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
The Modern Middle East : A History
Currently one of the best textbooks on modern MENA history. Perfect for beginners, entertaining for "insiders".
Posted by raf* at 06:50 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
