The Modern Middle East: A Political History Since the First World War

By Mehran Kamrava

Book Overview

The first succinct and authoritative overview of the making of the modern Middle East, this lucid book brings a valuable mix of historical perspectives and contemporary analysis to a wide audience of readers seeking expert knowledge about this troubled and fascinating region. Giving a rich perspective on the region's historical and political evolution, the book traces the influence of factors such as religion, culture, and economics and illuminates events and topics currently in the news. With its broad thematic sweep and its balanced presentation of contentious issues, it is essential reading for general readers and students who want to better understand the world today.

Mehran Kamrava sets the stage with a concise discussion of the evolution of Islam and the religion's profound role in the region. He then looks at, in turn, the rise and fall of the Ottomans, the trials of independence and state-building, the emergence and fiery spread of nationalism, the two Arab-Israeli wars of 1967 and 1973, the Iranian Revolution, and the two Gulf Wars and beyond, including discussion of the invasion of Iraq by the United States. After tracing the consequences of these historical events for a host of political phenomena, Kamrava gives detailed attention to three pivotal issues: the challenges of economic development, the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, and the question of democracy. He also examines issues that will shape the future: population growth, environmental pollution, and water scarcity.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0520241509
• ISBN13: 9780520241503
• Release Date: January 2005
• Publisher: University of California Press
• Length: 497 Pages
• Weight: 1.50 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.2" x 6.0" x 8.9"

Customer Reviews

This Book Will Make Clear a Very Complex Topic

My brother recommended this book for me as a highly informative volume on modern middle eastern history. I must say that I am glad that he did. After reading it I felt that I gained a more clear view on the history of the middle east, was better able to understand current events and policies there and their ramifications, and got a decent sense of the social, political, and economic forces that continue to shape the region. Here is how Kamrava has created such an effective book. First, Kamrava is always uses appropriate academic language and defines terms for the reader when new concepts are introduced. Complicated topics like nationalism, pan Arabism, and Islam are introduced, defined, and discussed in relation to the history being presented at each stage of the book. Kamrava is also effective in delineating the Arab, Muslim, and national identities and how each have grown and diminished, overlapped and separated during various periods in the middle east. Understanding these dynamics are critical to analyzing the middle east past and present. If learning about the middle east and it's people from a socio-political perspective is a goal of yours, "The Modern Middle East: A Political History since the First World War" should be a stop along the way.

Involved, very scholarly work on the 20th Cent. MidEast

This is the sort of book I have been looking for a long time. I've read other books on the Middle East which purport to have a similar focus, but which are instead incomplete, notably "Sowing the Wind". This book, by contrast, maintains the focus rather carefully and provides a concise history of the whole region. It looks as if the book was written as a textbook for (I would presume) grad students studying the subject, but really any intelligent person can pick it up and learn a great deal. An issue with a book like this is the tone of the work, how well the author writes. Kamrava isn't the second coming of Hemingway, but he's not too bad, either. The book is divided into two portions: first, a historical section that gives you an overview of the region's history, and second a topical section that looks at various issues that impact the region currently. The first section is very readable, the second less so (who actually enjoys reading about economics?). The author, however, does a good job (for the most part) of not sounding like a university professor telling you about something, though he does occasionally use words that are obscure, especially in terms of sub-regions of the Mid East. I still enjoyed this book, thought I got a lot out of it, and would recommend it. The author seems to be a hair more optimistic about the prospects for peace and prosperity in the region than I am, but he makes a good case for his point of view, and the result is interesting.