Middle Eastern history Books

Book SynopsisFather Krusinski, Procurator-General of the Jesuit Mission and intermediary between the Papacy and the Safavid court, resided in Isfahan and was thus an eyewitness to the siege of the city. His account of the conditions and events preceding and during the siege and the subsequent demise of the Safavids is unique. It also offers key insights into the workings of the late Safavid state and government as well as the functions of the royal harem. This set includes the translation of the Clodius edition undertaken at the behest of the Ottoman Grand Vizier Damat Ibrahim. Together, these scarce volumes provide a unique source of information on late Safavid Persia. With an introduction by leading contemporary scholar, Rudi Matthee, the set will be welcomed by academics, collectors and libraries.Table of ContentsVolume 1: A History of the Late Revolution in Persia by J. T. Krusinski New Introduction by Rudi Matthee Preface Introduction: A history of the late revolution in Persia Origin of the family of the Sophies; Ismael; Thamas; Ismael II; Mahomet Codabende; Emir Heuse; Ismael III; Abas Goal; Sefi; Abas II; Solyman; Hussein A History of the Late Revolution in Persia Volume 2: A History of the Late Revolution in Persia by J. T. Krusinski A History of the Late Revolution in Persia (contd) Appendix Index Volume 3: The Chronicle of a Traveller, or a History of the Afghan Wars with Persia translated by G. N. Mitford from the Latin of J. C. Clodius Preface Introduction Turkish author’s preface The Chronicles of a Traveller Preface concerning the modern kings of Persia and the duration of their reigns; Supplement to the history of Shah Abas II; History of Shah Sooliman; History of the mother of the Princess Royal; History of Mirza Abas; Death of Sooliman; History of Shah Hoossein; Consideration of the cause of the destruction of the Persian Empire; The early history of the Afghans; Description of the Afghan mose of warfare; The routes and distance from Isfahan to the city of Candahar; Description of Candahar; Reasons for the occupation of Candahar by the Persians; Rebellion of Georgis Khan, Prince of Geoprgia, and his flight; The arrival of Georgis Khan at Isfahan, and his pardon by the Shah; The arrival of an Indian ambassador to demand restitution of Candahar; Determination of the Shah and his ministers to send Georgis Khan at the head of an army to Candahar, and rejection of the demands of the Kino of India; History of Meer Veis; The arrival of Meer Veis at Isfahan, and the rest of his proceedings with the Shah and the ministers; Of the pilgrimage of Meer Veis and his petition to the Shah, assigning his reasons for it; The questions put by Meer Veis to the Ulemas of the hijaz; Return of Meer Veis to Isfahan, from his Pilgrimage; Arrival of the Russian ambassador to the court of Isfahan; Advice of Meer Veis concerning the ambassador; Departure of Meer Veis for Candahar; Arrival of Meer Veis at Candahar and deliberation on the murder of Georgis Khan; Consultation of Meer Veis, after the assassination of Georgis Khan, with the Afghans; Seizure of the fortress of Candahar; Deliberation of the Afghans, after the capture of the fortress; Letter sent by Meer Veis to the Shah of Persia; Letter of Meer Veis to the ministers of the Emperor of Hindostan; The reduction of Candahar undertaken by the Persians under Khoosrow Khan; Preparation of Meer Veis for the reception of Khoosrow Khan; The Persians raise the siege of Candahar, their defeat and flight; Death of Meer Veis; The reign of Meer Abdallah in Candahar; History of Meer Mahmood, his assassination of Meer Abdallah, and usurpation; Of the second Persian war for the recovery of Candahar, of their general, Suffee Koolly Khan, and the fate of his young son; Defeat of the Persians and death of Suffee Koolly Khan and his young son; Determination of the Persians to renew the war with the Afghans; The cooperation of the Portuguese fleet sought by the Persians; Arrival of Meer Mahmood at Kirman, its siege and capture. Battle with Lootf Ally Khan. Defeat of Mahmood and his flight into Candahar; Conspiracy of the council against Looft Ally Khan; The fate of the Etimad-Dowlet, or Prime Minister, Fetteh Ally Khan, and the false calumnies against him; The Etimad-Dowlet deprived of sight through the machinations of his enemies; Lootf Ally Khan summoned from Shiraz and cast into prison; Assembly of the Shah’s ministers and the Etimad-Dowlet confronted with his accusers; The Etimad-Dowlet’s first answer; Answer the second; Answer the third; Answer the fourth; Answer the fifth; Answer the sixth; Answer the seventh; Answer the eighth; Answer the ninth; Account of Lootf Ally Khan; Supplement to the history of Lootf Ally Khan; The celestial and terrestrial signs that appeare

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Book SynopsisThe Armenian world was shattered by the 1915 genocide. Not only were thousands of lives lost but families were displaced and the narrative threads that connected them to their own past and homelands were forever severed. Many have been left with only fragments of their family histories: a story of survival passed on by a grandparent who made it through the cataclysm or, if lucky, an old photograph of a distant, silent, ancestor. By contrast the Dildilian family chose to speak. Two generations gave voice to their experience in lengthy written memoirs, in diaries and letters, and most unusually in photographs and drawings. Their descendant Armen T. Marsoobian uses all these resources to tell their story and, in doing so, brings to life the pivotal and often violent moments in Armenian and Ottoman history from the massacres of the late nineteenth century to the final expulsions in the 1920s during the Turkish War of Independence. Unlike most Armenians, the Dildilians were allowed to convert to Islam and stayed behind while their friends, colleagues and other family members perished in the death marches of 1915-1916.Their remarkable story is one of survival against the overwhelming odds and survival in the face of peril.Trade ReviewA formidable work of research that is partly microhistory, partly political history. At times the book reads like a novel.... Marsoobian describes powerfully the struggle to survive and its impact on the human psyche. * Elif Shafak, The New Statesman *Above all, Marsoobian gives a feel for the horror, the fear and the sometimes quite unreasonable hope that the victims felt, an emotional and tangible re-creation that even the best historian could not arrive at... After reading Marssobian's book you will admire the resilience of the Armenians. * Donald Rayfield, Literary Review *Table of ContentsIntroduction: I. The Dildilians of Sivas II. Prosperity and Loss Soon to be Captured in the Dildilian Camera Lens III: The Childhood Recollections of Aram Dildilian IV: The Hamidian Massacres of 1894-96 and their Aftermath V: The Dildilians Begin to Take Their Separate Paths VI: The End of a Century and New Beginnings VIII: The Prosperity and Premonitions of the Pre-War Years IX: The Clouds of War and Catastrophe X: The Years After the Great War: Rebuilding Their Shattered Lives XI: Their Days Are Numbered: No Place in Turkey for the Dildilians

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The Islamic State movement (ISIS/ISIL/IS) burst onto the world stage in 2014. From its heartland in Syria, where it arose from the chaos of the Syrian Revolt, the organisation has expanded in ideology and membership and now poses a significant threat to the region, if not to the wider world. Moubayed, a Beirut-based journalist who has been analysing Syria and the region for 20 years, has unrivalled access to the movement and its participants. His book is the first inside account of an organisation which has dominated the headlines with a dangerous mix of barbarity and military prowess. In looking at the historical background of ISIS: where it came from, how it evolved, where it stands today and what its aims are for the future to reveal, it will provide, for the first time, a fully-fledged picture of what lies at the heart of the Islamic State.

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Book SynopsisThe recorded history of gypsy communities in Europe begins with the arrival of the Roma in the fourteenth century, although genetic and linguistic evidence demonstrates that this group left northwest India sometime before the seventh. Remarkably, this leaves a 700-year unexplored void as the communities migrated across the Middle East. The main problem facing historians studying so-called gypsies and gypsy-like communities is a linguistic one – namely not knowing how to identify or recognise them in the medieval Arabic and Persian sources. Drawing on ground-breaking linguistic research, Kristina Richardson here demonstrates that the Banû Sâsân – literally `from the tribe of Sâsân’ and commonly identified in scholarship as a fringe criminal gang or underworld brotherhood – should be less creatively imagined and viewed as an ordinary tribal confederation: the `missing’ gypsy community. Having established this, Richardson fleshes out the existence of these communities across the medieval Middle East, touching on topics as diverse as their professions, their migration patterns, the art they left behind, the urban spaces they lived in and influenced, their daily life and their literature. Richardson’s ground-breaking book will provide the foundation for future studies of the Romani in the period, in addition to revealing a great deal about the cities, communities, religions and cultures that they lived within as they moved and settled across the medieval Islamic world.Trade ReviewThis book is nothing short of a radical remapping of the Global Middle Ages that decenters sedentary peoples and refuses territorial partition. Kristina Richardson brilliantly illuminates the sophisticated literary, technological, and intellectual cultures of the Ghuraba' (Strangers), the Roma, and other traveling communities as they moved along the margins of Afro-Eurasian societies between the eighth and the sixteenth centuries. Methodologically wide-ranging and analytically bold, Roma in the Medieval Islamic World will change the way we write medieval history. * Professor of History and International Studies, Zayde Antrim, Trinity College, USA *Fascinating! Like watching a wonderful and unexpected landscape emerge as a master jigsaw puzzler fits the pieces together. * Richard Bulliet, Emeritus Professor of History, Columbia University, USA *"In this brilliant work, Dr. Kristina Richardson illustrates the fundamental importance of studying peoples that transcend geographical and cultural boundaries. Attention to the 'marginal' Ghuraba' across time and space shows them to be anything one of the major groups responsible for facilitating Afro-Eurasian cultural exchange. Of the many notable contributions of this work, her intervention in the history of the printed book is a stunning contribution to the field. Through meticulous linguistic and material analysis, she shows that the Ghuraba' are the most likely candidates for the transmission of 'print culture' from East Asia to the West. Her findings are sure to win many converts and provide a new methodological approach for exploring the vital importance of minority groups to the emergence of Afro-Eurasian material cultures." * Devin Fitzgerald, Curator of Rare Books and History of Printing, UCLA, USA *Table of ContentsIntroduction Chapter 1: Reimagining the Ban? S?s?n and Their Language Chapter 2: Professional Niches, Migrations and Diaspora Chapter 3: Material Culture Chapter 4: Urban Spaces Chapter 5: A Gypsy Littérateur from B?b al-L?q, Cairo Chapter Six: Conclusion

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Book SynopsisFor nearly a century, members of the Dildilian family practiced the art of photography in Ottoman Turkey, Greece and the United States. This book contains over 300 photographs, most taken during the Ottoman era. The photos record a crucial half century of Armenian culture, with the earliest dating from 1888, when Tsolag Dildilian opened and operated the family business in central Anatolia, first in Sivas and later in Marsovan and Samsun, and the last taken in late 1930s Greece after the family's forced exile from their homeland in 1922. The photographs and the stories that unfold around them capture a defining period in the nearly 3,000-year history of the Armenians in Anatolia and the Armenian Highlands. The early- twentieth century witnessed the violent erasure of the Armenians from their historic homeland, with catastrophic effects for the Dildilian family and their community. Yet this was also a period of unprecedented educational, cultural and commercial development for the Armenians. The Dildilian family was intimately involved in the triumphs and tragedies of these years and this book, through its rich pictorial history, sheds unprecedented light on the real-life experiences of Armenians in the devastating years of the Armenian Genocide and beyond. It is an unusual and original contribution to the social history of the Near East.Table of ContentsIntroduction Early Photographs in Sebastia (Sivas), the Ancestral Home of the Dildilians, 1888-1894 The Late 1890s and the Early Years of the New Century The Dildilians and Anatolia College: The Campus Cities of Anatolia and Their Sights The Art of Portrait Photography A Photographic Homage to Those Who Did Not Survive Photographing the Aftermath of the Genocide The Dildilians after the War (1918-1923) Epilogue, 1926

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Book SynopsisIn 1981 a young semi-professional footballer - known as `Imam Beckenbauer' for his piety and his dominant style of play - has his career cut short after a confrontation with Turkey's military junta. His name was Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and three decades later he is Turkey's most powerful ruler since Ataturk....' Turkey is a nation obsessed with football. From the flares which cover the stadium with multi-coloured smoke and often bring play to a halt, to the `conductors' - ultras who lead the `walls of sound' at matches, Turkish football has always been an awesome spectacle. And yet, in this politically fraught country, caught between the Middle East and the West, football has also always been so much more. From the fan groups resisting the government in the streets and stands, to ambitious politicians embroiling clubs in Machiavellian shenanigans, football in Turkey is a site of power, anger, and resistance. Journalist and football obsessive Patrick Keddie takes us on a wild journey through Turkey's role in the world's most popular game. He travels from the streets of Istanbul, where fans dodge tear gas and water cannons, to the plains of Anatolia, where women are fighting for their rights to wear shorts and play sports. He meets a gay referee facing death threats, Syrian footballers trying to piece together their shattered dreams, and Kurdish teams struggling to play football amid war. `The Passion' also tells the story of the biggest match-fixing scandal in European football, and sketches its murky connections to the country's leadership. In doing so he lifts the lid on a rarely glimpsed side of modern Turkey. Funny, touching and beautifully observed, this is the story of Turkey as we have never seen it before.Trade Review“Patrick Keddie takes us inside the unceasing Turkish football conversation. The game turns out to be a great device to explain this little understood, football-mad country and its football-mad ruler (who recently banned the foreign word “arena”, forcing many Turkish stadiums to be renamed). The Passion is an energetically researched history of Turkey through football.” * Simon Kuper, Financial Times columnist and author of Football Against the Enemy *“I found The Passion a captivating account of modern Turkey, its passions and frustrations; perhaps it won’t make you fall in love with Turkish football, but it will help you see why it is so central in understanding Turkey’s soul.” * Kaya Genc, author of Under the Shadow: Rage and Revolution in Modern Turkey *the writer’s own passion for his subject is obvious throughout a highly readable and impressively far-reaching work that deserves attention from followers of football and Turkey alike. -- Michael Mackenzie * Ahval News *The depth of research undertaken by Keddie is laudable and what could have easily have turned out to be a dry, academic, turgid tome is thankfully anything but. The book is well thought out and structured and commendably offers a voice to parties who would otherwise struggle to be heard outside of the country. -- Paul McParlan * The Football Pink *Turkish football is an exemplar of a world where football is ever more reflective of our social conditions, and ever more politicised. It now has an exemplary chronicler and interpreter in Patrick Keddie whose The Passion is a fabulous guide to everything from President Erdogan's football obsession to Kurdish resistance through the game. * David Goldblatt, author of The Ball is round: A Global History of Football and The Game of Our Lives: The Meaning and Making of English Football *

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Book SynopsisThe tenth century was a formative period for Islamic culture and Adam Mez’s Renaissance of Islam offers a detailed survey of the Muslim world during that period. No other single work covers the subject as comprehensively. Mez drew upon a vast range of sources to produce a detailed account of all aspects of Islamic culture and society - finance, religion, geography, industry and trade, law, morals, navigation, etc. The result is a lucid and engaging work that even today remains a key resource for researchers and students alike. The original edition is now very rare. This new edition, introduced by Julia Bray, one of the leading scholars of the period, makes the work available once again and includes a bibliography and index specially prepared for this edition.Table of ContentsIntroduction by Julia Bray The empire The caliphs The princes of the empire Christians and Jews Shi'ah The administration The wazir Finances The Court The nobility The slaves The savant Theology The schools of jurisprudence The qadi Philology Literature Geography Religion Manners and morals The standard of living Municipal organization The festivals Land products Industry Trade Inland navigation Communication by road Marine navigation Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisIn this unparalleled investigation, Christopher Davidson exposes the true extent of Western interference in the Middle East over the past one hundred years. Drawing on the examination of hundreds of leaked and declassified documents, and interviews with former officials, academics, journalists and activists, he shows how the region’s most powerful actors have been manipulated by foreign players in a game that has given rise to dictators, sectarian wars, bloody counter-revolutions and the most brutal incarnation of extremism ever seen.Trade Review‘This is an outstanding book, bracing in its understanding of the rapacious forces that set upon the Middle East and meticulous in weaving the historical threads that explain why.’ -- John Pilger‘The best and most informative book yet on the struggle for power among the US and Europe, Arab autocratic regimes, and these countries’ impoverished masses.’ * R. W. Olson, University of Kentucky, CHOICE Magazine *‘An avalanche of spies, lies, covert actions and overt aggression – Davidson shows how many of the West’s troubles in the Middle East have emerged from its relentless search for resources.’ -- Leif Wenar, Professor and Chair in Philosophy and Law, King’s College London‘A thought-provoking and original take on the present catastrophic realities in the Middle East. This is a timely research into the causes of the failure of the Arab Spring. It deems the defeat of the ‘Spring’ as a counter revolution prompted by external interventions. The book is a tour de force that begins with the past European Revolutions and ends up with an intriguing and highly convincing analysis of the demise of the Arab Spring. No one is spared in this incisive analysis: Arab regimes, fundamentalist movements, the West and Israel are all castigated here for their responsibility for the suffering of the people of Middle East today.’ -- Ilan Pappe, Professor of History, University of Exeter‘Plunges into America’s move to center stage and how it has sustained its ravenous postwar economy by preserving access to crude oil imports at any cost...Davidson is especially dogged at “following the money”—e.g., the rise of crony-capitalist networks in the Gulf monarchies and the financing of al-Qaeda and of the new Islamic State group…An exhaustively researched account.’ * Kirkus *‘For its unsparing probity, Davidson’s book ought to be required reading…Who are these people? Where did they come from? What do they want? Shadow Wars makes the answers painfully, damningly clear.’ * Christian Science Monitor *‘Mr Davidson is one of the most knowledgeable academics writing about the region.’ * The Economist *Table of ContentsIntroduction 1 Counter-revolution – A Pattern Emerges Lessons from the past – nothing is new Lessons from the past – the preventive counter-revolutions Britain’s hungry empire The threat from Arab nationalism Trouble on the Arabian Peninsula – revolution reaches Yemen The contagion spreads – the Sultanate of Oman The smaller sheikhdoms – preventive measures 2 Cold War, Oil War – America Takes Over America’s even hungrier empire America’s global counter-revolution America’s Middle East – special treatment for a special case Removing the rivals – Iranian democracy Removing the rivals – taking on the Arabs Strengthening the status quo – the arms trade Strengthening the status quo – military bases Strengthening the status quo – mercenaries 3 The Road to al-Qaeda – The CIA’s Baby Searching for an Islamic state – Britain’s caliphate Searching for an Islamic state – Wahhabism and the Muslim Brotherhood Mobilizing jihad – the case of Afghanistan Operation Cyclone – Anglo-American jihad Foreign fighters, foreign cash The Islamic Republic of Iran – a secret relationship 4 Allied to Jihad – Useful Idiots The Taliban – America’s new ally Keeping bin Laden on board The war against Serbia – Bosnian jihad The war against Serbia – Kosovan jihad The Libyan Islamic Fighting Group – Britain’s new ally The road to 9/11 – managing blowback 9/11 – saving Saudi Arabia 9/11 – protecting the funding networks The fake ‘War on Terror’ – Afghanistan The fake ‘War on Terror’ – Iraq 5 The Arab Spring – A System Threatened A new challenge, a new hope The road to 2011 – regimes in decay Tunisia – the Jasmine Revolution Egypt – the Republic of Tahrir Yemen – revolution in Arabia Breaking the fear barrier – a chance for cosmopolitanism The economic storm – enter neo-liberalism The economic storm – the rise of crony capitalism The economic storm – the rise of Gulf capitalism From modernizing Arabs to revolutionary Arabs Cosmopolitan communications – from satellites to social media 6 Plan ‘A’ – Islamists Versus the Deep State The need for counter-revolution Egypt – back to the Brotherhood Egypt – an uneasy alliance Egypt – military dictatorship Egypt – ‘Sisi mania’ Egypt – the Qatar connection Egypt – Saudi Arabia takes on the Brotherhood Tunisia – under pressure Tunisia – sleepwalking to counter-revolution Yemen – outmanoeuvring the Arab Spring Bahrain – the forgotten revolution 7 Plan ‘B’ – A Fake Arab Spring Containable protests Axis against axis – faking the Arab Spring Libya – Gaddafi’s strange regime Libya – flirting with neo-liberalism Libya – not so supplicant Libya – the uprising Libya – subverting the National Transitional Council Libya – NATO takes action Libya – an international crime Libya – the scramble for assets Libya – a role for al-Qaeda Libya – searching for a Sisi Syria – parallel plans Syria – the uprising begins Syria – preparing for intervention Syria – enter the proxies Syria – arming the rebels Syria – searching for the ‘red line’ Syria – back to the battlefield Syria – the media war Yemen – a painful intervention Yemen – bringing back al-Qaeda 8 Enter the Islamic State – A Phantom Menace Al-Qaeda’s limits The need for ‘national jihadists’ Iraq – the incubation chamber Iraq – the emerging Islamic State Iraq – the proto-caliphate The Islamic State – mysterious new leadership The Islamic State – a persuasive ideology Opportunities in Syria Expansion in Iraq The caliphate restored The resurrection of Saddam Hussein ‘Remaining and expanding’ – services and recruitment ‘Remaining and expanding’ – masters of propaganda 9 The Islamic State – A Strategic Asset Qui bono – to whose profit? The manufacturing of evil – the new bogeyman The business of evil – a history of cashing in The business of evil – the arms industry bonanza Surprise, surprise – the Islamic State came from nowhere The strangest road to war A campaign of contradictions Explaining failure – the official line Suspicions mount – challenging the narrative Follow the money – the self-funding narrative Follow the money – the Islamic State’s funders Funders need facilitators – the role of Turkey 10 The Islamic State – A Gift That Keeps Giving The return of the ‘War on Terror’ The Islamic State in Libya The Islamic State in Yemen The fight for Mali Boko Haram – Nigeria under attack Boko Haram – the shift to the Islamic State Boko Haram – generous sponsors Boko Haram – delivering results Beyond Panetta – other pledges to the Islamic State Russia and China – superpower implications Epilogue – Keeping the Wheel Turning Getting business back to usual The exploitation of Egypt Wild card number one – opening up Iran A new Iran, a new sectarian war Wild card number two – American oil A new Saudi Arabia, a new chapter Notes Index

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Book SynopsisDiscussions of the Arab world, particularly the Gulf States, increasingly focus on sectarianism and autocratic rule. These features are often attributed to the dominance of monarchs, Islamists, oil, and ‘ancient hatreds’. To understand their rise, however, one has to turn to a largely forgotten but decisive episode with far-reaching repercussions – Bahrain under British colonial rule in the early twentieth century. Drawing on a wealth of previously unexamined Arabic literature as well as British archives, Omar AlShehabi details how sectarianism emerged as a modern phenomenon in Bahrain. He shows how absolutist rule was born in the Gulf, under the tutelage of the British Raj, to counter nationalist and anti-colonial movements tied to the al-Nahda renaissance in the wider Arab world. A groundbreaking work, Contested Modernity challenges us to reconsider not only how we see the Gulf but the Middle East as a whole.Trade Review‘AlShehabi’s book is important in several respects. First, it contributes to historicize the ethnosectarian categories that both scholars and social actors use when trying to make sense of contemporary Bahraini society and politics… It underlines how much Bahraini ethnosectarianism, before becoming a political practice, was first a form of colonial knowledge that different actors contested but also espoused, often strategically. The book is also important politically…because it proposes a scientific reading of Bahraini history in a context where history has been hyper-politicized, and thus often distorted, by local actors seeking to substantiate their respective positions in the hierarchy of power.’ * Politics, Religion & Ideology *‘This is a crucial corrective to misleading and injurious narratives about the perpetually “sectarian” Gulf and its people. Credit to AlShehabi for historicizing the interrelated problems of sectarianism and colonialism in modern Bahrain, the Gulf region, and the wider Arab world.’ -- Ussama Makdisi, Professor of History, Rice University‘With great ambition, rich empirical detail and theoretical nuance, this book successfully sets out to rewrite the history of modern Bahrain… essential reading for anyone who wants to understand Bahraini history, the modern politics of the Gulf and the rise of sectarianism in the Middle East.’ -- Toby Dodge, Professor of International Relations, London School of Economics‘AlShehabi offers an insightful and a fresh perspective that challenges dominant narratives on contemporary sectarian politics in Bahrain and the other states of the Arabian Gulf. While situating the Arab Gulf countries within mainstream debates on Arab al-Nahda, the book provides well-argued analyses of the Gulf-specific colonial experiences and the colonial roots of “the modernized absolutist rule” in the region.’ -- Abdulhadi Khalaf, Professor of Sociology, Lund University‘Written by one of the most astute scholars of the contemporary Gulf, this book presents an authoritative critique of the “ethnosectarian gaze” so often used in writing and thinking about Bahrain. Grounded in meticulous archival research and a fascinating retelling of Bahraini history, the book provides a wide range of fresh and compelling insights into debates around nationalism, identity, colonialism, and the production of knowledge. An indispensable work that breaks new ground in Middle East scholarship.’ -- Adam Hanieh, Reader in Development Studies, SOAS, and author of Money, Markets, and Monarchies: The Gulf Cooperation Council and the Political Economy of the Contemporary Middle EastTable of ContentsPreface Introduction: Approaching Absolutism, Nationalism, and Sectarianism in the Gulf 1 The Ethnosectarian Gaze and Divided Rule 2 Politics and Society Before Divided Rule, 1783–1900 3 Al-Nahda in Bahrain, 1875–1920 4 Contesting Divided Rule, 1900–1920 5 ‘Fitnah’: Ethnosectarianism Meets al-Nahda, 1921–1923 Postscript: The Rise of Absolutism and Nationalism, 1923–1979 Conclusion: State and Society Between Sectarianism and Nationalism Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisNew York Times Notable Books of 2018 Financial Times Book of the Year Award-winning journalist Rania Abouzeid presents reportage of unprecedented scope in this engaging, character-driven investigation that exposes the secret dealings that armed and betrayed an uprising. Taking readers deep into Assad’s prisons, to clandestine meetings and to the highest levels of Islamic militancy, Abouzeid dissects the tangle of ideologies and allegiances that make up the Syrian conflict, and lays bare the tragedy of the Syrian War through the stories of those seeking safety and freedom in a shattered country. Based on more than five years of frontline reporting, No Turning Back is an utterly engrossing human drama that shows how hope can flourish even amid one of the twenty-first century’s greatest humanitarian disasters.Trade Review‘An extraordinary piece of reportage that explains the Syrian war through the stories of individuals caught up in the fighting. Abouzeid’s book has the gripping and tragic qualities of a first-rate novel.’ * Financial Times Book of the Year *'Excellent... Probably the most perceptive journalistic account of the war so far... Abouzeid’s understated bravery and ability to merge into the background speak to the power of immersive eyewitness reporting, foregrounding the experience of the people she meets and writing with modesty.' * New York Review of Books *'An unparalleled account of the Syrian uprising, drawing on six years of immersive reporting.' * New Yorker *'A stunning take on Syria’s tragedy by the veteran Middle East reporter Rania Abouzeid... Abouzeid’s writing is clear, her analysis sharp, her sympathy deep as she answers this key question of our age.' * The Spectator *‘There is no better way to refocus on Syria than to read Rania Abouzeid’s book… What could simply be a standard journalistic device succeeds triumphantly because of the skill and sensitivity of Abouzeid’s writing, the depth of her reporting and the extraordinary nature of the stories she tells. As a result, her book has the compelling qualities of a novel, rather than simply a work of reportage…an extraordinary book that deserves to be read widely.’ * Financial Times *'This is journalism at its very best: brave; personal; written with aching beauty.' * Lyse Doucet, BBC's Chief International Correspondent *‘Painfully gripping.’ * Prospect *'This narrative of the Syrian war from 2011 through 2016 offers page after page of extraordinary reporting and exquisite prose, rendering its individual subjects with tremendous intimacy.' * New York Times Notable Books of 2018 *‘Offers page after page of extraordinary reporting and many flashes of exquisitely descriptive prose… Abouzeid’s remarkable journalistic and literary work has given us, at last, a book worthy of the enormous tragedy that is Syria.’ * New York Times Book Review *‘For those confused by the country's descent into chaos and the myriad factions now battling it out for supremacy, it is indispensable... A masterpiece: a forensic, yet accessible anatomy of how a peaceful uprising was hijacked by external forces who cared less about ridding Syria of dictator Bashar al-Assad than furthering their own agendas… Abouzeid writes compellingly throughout.’ * Big Issue *'[No Turning Back] offers page after page of extraordinary reporting and exquisite prose, rendering its individual subjects with tremendous intimacy.' * New York Times, '8 Books We Recommend this Week' *'Eloquent and devastating … Abouzeid relates the drama of this chaos in gripping prose.' * Christian Science Monitor *'Searing and sparingly beautiful… War, she reminds us, alters the architecture of the city as much as it scrambles the human psyche.' * Los Angeles Review of Books *'Rania Abouzeid has produced a masterpiece.' * Robert F. Worth, author of A Rage For Order *'This is an essential read not only for those interested in Syria and the Middle East, but for anyone who strives to understand the mechanics of a society torn by civil war.' * Ghaith Abdul-Ahad, Guardian Middle East Correspondent *‘An astonishing work, in its ambition, its scope and its humanity…these stories are woven with consummate skill by Abouzeid who does not moralize and does not judge. Through their lived experiences she has shown the human faces, the human suffering behind the headlines.’ * New Internationalist *'After No Turning Back, you won’t be able to hear anything more about Syria without feeling that you too know the people who are living (and dying) through it.' * Barbara Demick, author of Nothing to Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea and Logavina Street: Life and Death in a Sarajevo Neighborhood *'No Turning Back is a monumental achievement. I can think of few other journalists, past or present, who have reported on any war as courageously, analyzed it as trenchantly, or rendered the lives of its participants and victims as movingly, as Abouzeid has done here for the war in Syria. The book will no doubt endure as a work of literature.' * Luke Mogelson, author of These Heroic, Happy Dead *'No Turning Back works both on the level of deeply reported personal narratives of a tragedy that continues to unspool and also as a major work of history.' * Peter Bergen, author of United States of Jihad and Manhunt: The Ten Year Search for Bin Laden *'Rania Abouzeid brings the century's deadliest conflict to life...' * Irish Times, Books to look out for in 2018 *'An intimate portrait of a chaotic war. A must read.' * Deb Amos, author of Eclipse of the Sunnis: Power, Exile, and Upheaval in the Middle East *'Rania Abouzeid has produced a work of stunning reportage from the very heart of the conflict, daring to go to the most dangerous places in order to get the story.' * Dexter Filkins, Pulitzer Prize–winning author of The Forever War *‘A fabulous and illuminating account of the Syrian conflict told by a world-class journalist at the height of her powers. This is about real people, their real stories and how they web together to tell the wider story of a nation in crisis. A rich and rewarding book that informs, excites and inspires. A truly first-class piece of high-end reportage.’ * Tim Butcher, author of Blood River *

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Book Synopsis'Fascinating' Guardian, 'Book of the Day''A truly masterly book... A tour de force that will be read for a very long time.' Peter HennessySelected by the New Statesman as an essential read for 2022Britain shaped the modern Middle East through the lines that it drew in the sand after the First World War and through the League of Nations mandates over the fledgling states that followed. Less than forty years later, the Suez crisis dealt a fatal blow to Britain's standing in the Middle East and is often represented as the final throes of British imperialism. However, as this insightful and compelling new book reveals, successive prime ministers have all sought to extend British influence in the Middle East and their actions have often led to a disastrous outcome.While Anthony Eden and Tony Blair are the two most prominent examples of prime ministers whose reputations have been ruined by their interventions in the region, they were not alone in taking significant risks in deploying British forces to the Middle East. There was an unspoken assumption that Britain could help solve its problems, even if only for the reason that British imperialism had created the problems in the first place.Drawing these threads together, Nigel Ashton explores the reasons why British leaders have been unable to resist returning to the mire of the Middle East, while highlighting the misconceptions about the region that have helped shape their interventions, and the legacy of history that has fuelled their pride and arrogance. Ultimately, he shows how their fears and insecurities made them into false prophets who conjured existential threats out of the sands of the Middle East.Trade ReviewFascinating... Diary entries, telegrams, diplomatic records and, where possible, interviews with aides and advisers help bring out the psychology, preoccupations and prejudices that framed British decision making. The result is an empathetic but not a sympathetic account. * Guardian, 'Book of the Day' *Ashton gives an authoritative account of this familiar saga... He unravels the diplomatic and political intricacies with enviable skill. -- Piers Brendon * Literary Review *A truly masterly book on a crucial running theme of British history since 1945. It is rich in scholarship, laced with insight and burnished with fluency. Nigel Ashton has a special feel for that fissile terrain where oil, sand, geopolitics and UK foreign policy meet. It is second only to the European Question as a wrecker of premierships and political reputations. False Prophets is a tour de force that will be read for a very long time. -- Peter Hennessy, author of WINDS OF CHANGEEngaging... Ashton frames his study through the lens of 10 Downing Street, showing how its occupants, from Anthony Eden to David Cameron, dealt with successive postwar crises in the world's most hydrocarbon-rich, but politically volatile, region... It has the advantage of shaping a cacophony of confusing events into a highly readable narrative. * Financial TImes *A fascinating and challenging insight into the twists and turns of Britain's relationship with the Middle East. Prime ministers and their diplomatic advisers must understand this history if we are to get better at understanding this region in the future. -- Tom Fletcher, author of THE NAKED DIPLOMATAs Nigel Ashton details in his insightful book False Prophets, successive British prime ministers have been lured into the quick-sands of the Middle East by an exaggerated sense of the threat emanating from the region and by the desire to enhance the UK's "special relationship" with the US. Too often, Britain's over-estimation of its ability to control events led to interventions that proved detrimental to national interests and compounded the region's problems. -- Emma Sky, author of THE UNRAVELLINGA masterful new account of the perceptions and underlying motivations that swept a succession of British prime ministers into (often messy) entanglements in the Middle East, post-1955. Superbly researched and written with tempo, this is a brilliant book; one which will be enjoyed by professional historians and general readers alike - not least because the author has a special eye for those small yet revealing, sometimes ironic, often amusing, moments that history can so delightfully throw our way. -- Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein, President and CEO of the International Peace InstituteThis is an outstanding book, combining a wide-ranging knowledge of the history of the Middle East and of successive prime ministers, interwoven with a vital understanding of Anglo-American relations. It is both stimulating and very well-written. -- Kathleen Burk, Professor Emerita of Modern and Contemporary History, University College LondonAs if Anthony Eden's tragic missteps over Suez in 1956 were not warning enough, this lively, sobering account shows how British prime ministers have continued to get drawn into Middle Eastern affairs, often at a high political cost and with little foreign policy gain. -- Sir Lawrence Freedman, Emeritus Professor of War Studies, King's College LondonNigel Ashton's fascinating, sweeping study, lively and detailed, is of all prime ministers trying to exert their personal authority in the Middle East and to sustain the idea of Britain as a world power. It is a history of ambitions, egos, imperiousness, interventions and often failure, with painful legacies, and it is written with an expert's grasp. -- Dr James Ellison, Reader in History, Queen Mary, University of LondonVivid and salutary. * The Tablet *This fascinating book makes a strong case that the volatile mixture of history, economic interests and personal convictions it describes will continue to exert a fateful fascination for British prime ministers. -- Peter Ricketts * Engelsberg Ideas *Table of Contents1: Anthony Eden: Suezcide of a Statesman 2: Macmillan's Hot Pursuit of Nasser 3: Douglas-Home's War in Yemen 4: A Tale of Two Kisses: Harold Wilson, George Brown and the Middle East 5: Heath's Day of Atonement 6: Callaghan's 'Local Terrorist Made Good' 7: Arms and the Woman: Margaret Thatcher and the Middle East 8: Major's Safe Haven 9: The Next Stage of Evil: Tony Blair and the Middle East 10: In Blair's Shadow: Gordon Brown and the Middle East 11: Cameron and the Arab Spring

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Book SynopsisWhat has become of Israel’s peace movement? In the early 1980s, it was a major political force, bringing hundreds of thousands onto the streets; but since then, its importance has declined amid spiralling violence. Now, and especially since the second Intifada of 2000-5, the ‘doves’ of the Israel/Palestine conflict struggle to be heard over its ‘hawks’, and the days of mass mobilisation are over. Doves Among Hawks charts the successes and failures of a beleaguered peace movement, from its formation after the Six-Day War to the current security-obsessed climate, where Israel’s ‘doves’ seem to be fighting a lost and outdated battle. Samy Cohen’s history of a peace process that once took on the Israeli settler movements exposes how that cause has been derailed and demoralised by suicide attacks. But the peace movement isn’t dead--it has simply transformed. From human rights monitors to lobbies of the bereaved, Cohen reveals a multitude of smaller, grassroots organisations that have emerged with unexpected energy. These lawyers, doctors, army reservists, former diplomats and senior security personnel are the unsung heroes of his story. Trade Review'The author analyses [the] trajectory of the [Israeli peace movement since 1978] against the backdrop of the rightward drift in Israeli party politics, the increasing violence of the Israel-Palestinian conflict, and the fragmentation of the peace movement in the 21st century.' -- Choice‘One of the most compelling attempts to investigate the decline of the peace camp and the movements behind it. … this is an important and thought-provoking book for both scholars and laypeople who are concerned about the current hawkish tendencies in Israeli politics and society.’ -- Israel Journal of Foreign Affairs'highly inspirational' -- Journal of Peace Research'Excellent . . . detailed, informative and highly readable.''Beautifully describes the history of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict since 1967 . . . a very important book' -- Yoram Peri, Jack Kay Professor of Israel Studies, University of Maryland Meyerhoff Center for Jewish Studies'Offers a much-needed balanced, historically nuanced, and sophisticated social movement-based answer to one of the thorniest questions occupying scholars, politicians, and journalists of Israeli and Middle Eastern politics: what has become of the Israeli peace camp?' -- Eitan Alimi, Associate Professor of Political Sociology, Hebrew University of Jerusalem'Both overwhelmingly depressing and inspiringly hopeful, this extensive history of the Israeli Peace Camp tells a story of decline, but also of the proliferation of small-scale organizations and activists. Cohen navigates skilfully across the political spectrum--a rare achievement in today's political climate.' -- Hagar Kotef, Senior Lecturer in Political Theory & Comparative Political Thought, SOAS University of London

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Book SynopsisRelations between Israel and the Gulf states are not anything new. In the immediate aftermath of the 1993 Oslo Accords, both Qatar and Oman established low-level yet open diplomatic ties with Israel. In 2010, Ha'aretz reported that the former Israeli foreign minister, Tzipi Livni, was on friendly terms with Shaykh Abdullah Ibn Zayed, her counterpart from the UAE, despite the absence of formal diplomatic ties between the two states. The shared suspicion towards the regional designs of Iran that undoubtedly underpinned these ties even extended, it was alleged, to a secret dialogue between Israel and Saudi Arabia, led by the late Meir Dagan, the former head of Mossad. Cooperation between Israel and Saudi Arabia in thwarting Iran's regional ambitions also casts light on Washington's lack of strategic leadership, which had previously been the totem around which Israel and the Gulf states had based regional security strategies. Jones and Guzansky contend that, at the very least, ties between Israel and many of its Gulf counterparts are now more vibrant than hitherto realised. They constitute a tacit security regime which, while based on hard power interests, does not preclude competition in other areas. Ultimately, these relations are helping shape a new regional order in the Middle East.Trade Review‘Thorough, detailed, and timely.’ -- Foreign AffairsA compact and well-written book.’ -- Survival‘A timely contribution to Middle Eastern studies, raising more questions in the reader’s mind, in addition to providing a wide historical perspective on controversies and conflicts of interest.’ -- Global Policy‘Fraternal Enemies is a must read … an excellent theoretical roadmap, reinforced by superb empirics … [this] prescient and timely account … represents a welcome addition to the shelf of policymakers and scholars seeking a nuanced realist theorisation of conflict and cooperation in the Middle East.’ -- LSE Review of Books‘'Fraternal Enemies' meticulously documents the dramatic increase in high-level engagement and co-operation between Israel and the Arab Gulf monarchies… Clive Jones and Yoel Guzansky have produced a critically important framework through which to understand the complexities surrounding the new regional order. Fraternal Enemies is an essential read for anyone hoping to understand the intricacies of the evolving relationship and the latest shift in contemporary Middle East politics.’'One could not imagine a timelier book ... Jones and Guzansky offer us a very useful guide to Israel-Gulf relations that is well-researched, theoretically informed, and empirically based.' -- The Middle East Journal'Jones and Guzansky’s study offers an insightful […] examination of the bilateral relationships that Israel has forged with some of the Sunni Arab states of the Persian Gulf. Their work clearly merits the close attention of everyone with an interest in this aspect of Israeli foreign policy.' -- Israel Affairs'Fresh, perceptive and extremely timely. Jones and Guzansky paint a vivid picture of the relationship between Israel and the Gulf States. A treasure trove of rich empirical data that adds much to our knowledge of an important and critical topic.' -- Mehran Kamrava, Professor and Director of the Center for International and Regional Studies at Georgetown University Qatar’s School of Foreign Service'A clear, succinct and very useful guide for exploring this rapidly developing topic. Jones and Guzansky set out for readers the sum of Israel-Gulf relations as they have developed historically and where they stand today.' -- Kristian Coates Ulrichsen, Fellow for the Middle East at Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy'An impeccably sourced and rigorously analytical account of how shared hostility to Iran and Islamists has forged increasingly visible security and trade links between Israel, Saudi Arabia, the UAE and other Gulf states, despite the continuing impasse in the ever-emotive Palestinian question.' -- Ian Black, author of 'Enemies and Neighbours: Arabs and Jews in Palestine and Israel, 1917-2017'

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Book SynopsisAfter the 1994 Oslo Accords, Palestinians were hopeful that an end to the Israeli occupation was within reach, and that a state would be theirs by 1999. With this promise, international powers became increasingly involved in Palestinian politics, and many shadows of statehood arose in the territories. Today, however, no state has emerged, and the occupation has become more entrenched. Concurrently, the Palestinian Authority has become increasingly authoritarian, and Palestinians ever more polarised and demobilised. Palestine is not unique in this: international involvement, and its disruptive effects, have been a constant across the contemporary Arab world. This book argues that internationally backed authoritarianism has an effect on society itself, not just on regime-level dynamics. It explains how the Oslo paradigm has demobilised Palestinians in a way that direct Israeli occupation, for many years, failed to do. Using a multi-method approach including interviews, historical analysis, and cutting-edge experimental data, Dana El Kurd reveals how international involvement has insulated Palestinian elites from the public, and strengthened their ability to engage in authoritarian practices. In turn, those practices have had profound effects on society, including crippling levels of polarisation and a weakened capacity for collective action.Trade Review‘A rigorous and impressively researched work, and a valuable and thought-provoking read for students of authoritarianism and Arab politics.’ -- CHOICE'A well-researched analysis of the disempowering legacy of the Oslo Accords... ['Polarized and Demobilized'] is also an engaging read that sheds light on the past, present and future of popular (non-PA sponsored) resistance to the occupation.' -- Morning Star‘Polarized and Demobilized provides such a sophisticated account that any sort of summary or short review would fail to do it justice. … Over and above, it is a truly enjoyable read: one of the very few academic works that combines theoretical sophistication with a smooth, seamless and beautifully articulated narrative.’ -- LSE Review of Books'Addresses an important question in a systematic and innovative way.''A strong and compelling book. El Kurd demonstrates how international involvement in Palestine has led to deeper polarization between the PA and its people, with serious implications for Palestinian society, the peace process and the future Palestinian state.' -- Amaney A. Jamal, Edwards S. Sanford Professor of Politics, Princeton University'This critical volume explains the transnational origins behind political polarization and institutional weakness in post-Oslo Palestine. El Kurd's work is theoretically sophisticated and empirically innovative--a must-read for any observer of the region.' -- Sean Yom, Associate Professor of Political Science, Temple University'How did the PA manage to demobilize Palestinian society, when years of direct Israeli occupation failed to do so? El Kurd brings novel data to bear on this provocative question, highlighting how internationally backed, "indigenous" authoritarian regimes can be particularly detrimental for political cooperation and resistance.' -- Diana B. Greenwald, Assistant Professor of Political Science, The City College of New York, CUNY'Palestinians have complained over the last generation about increasing authoritarianism and declining solidarity and activism, even as international donors spoke of democratic institution-building. El Kurd's rigorous empirical research shows not only that such complaints are valid but also how and why.' -- Nathan Brown, Professor of Political Science, George Washington University'A major contribution to understanding the dialectic between politically driven foreign aid and authoritarianism. El Kurd's rigorous and illuminating research shows a causal link between this process and social polarization, demobilization and the decline of collective action under the PA.' -- Azmi Bishara, General Director of the Arab Center for Research and Policy Studies

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Book SynopsisKing Salman of Saudi Arabia began his rule in 2015 confronted with a series of unprecedented challenges. The dilemmas he has faced are new and significant, from leadership shuffles and falling oil prices to regional and international upheaval. 'Salman's Legacy' interrogates this era and assesses its multiple social, political, regional and international challenges. Whether Salman's policies have saved the kingdom from serious upheaval is yet to be seen, but no doubt a new kingdom is emerging. This book offers historical and contemporary insights into the various problems that persist in haunting the Saudi state. Madawi Al-Rasheed brings together well-established historians and social scientists with deep knowledge of Saudi Arabia--its history, culture and contemporary politics--to reflect on Salman's kingdom. They trace both policy continuities and recent ruptures that have perplexed observers of Saudi Arabia. This lucid and nuanced analysis invites serious reflection on the Saudi leadership's capacity to withstand the recent challenges, especially those that came with the Arab uprisings. At stake is the future of a country that remains vital to regional stability, international security, and the global economy.Trade Review'[Salman’s Legacy] is not a history of Saudi Arabia, not a forecast of where the country will go under King Salman and MbS, but a treasure trove of some important aspects of their inheritance.' -- Asian Affairs Journal

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Book SynopsisThis book presents a comprehensive, detailed analysis of the establishment, evolution and current significance of different institutions in today's Islamic Republic of Iran. The volume draws on the insights of a number of Iran experts to examine their establishment, functions and evolution, as a means of understanding Iranian politics and society. 'The Sacred Republic's' specific focus is on the key formal institutions of the state through which the Islamic Republic exercises power, namely the 'velayat-e faqih': the judiciary, the presidency, the parliament, elections, the Revolutionary Guards, and the foreign policy establishment. Despite significant work on Iranian politics in recent decades, few studies have focused on state institutions, their resilience, or the reasons for and manner of institutional change. Through historical institutionalism and comparative historical analysis, the contributors to this book together fill a glaring gap in the study of Iran's political institutions, offering significant insights for the theoretical literature on comparative politics, Middle Eastern politics, and Iranian Studies.Trade Review'An outstanding collection of studies by first-rate scholars, and a must-read for anyone who wants to unpack the political life of the Islamic Republic. Well-written and engaging, each chapter offers unique insights into how today's Iran is governed.' -- Alex Vatanka, Director of the Iran Program, Middle East Institute'Focusing on a thus far rather neglected topic, Mehran Kamrava has brought together an impressive array of experts and this magnificent book represents the best scholarship in a new and important field.' -- Stephanie Cronin, Elahé Omidyar Mir-Djalali Research Fellow, University of Oxford'This important volume ably deciphers how the interplay of elite fragmentation, political participation and external pressure has shaped the increasing tilt toward centralisation of power in post-revolution Iran.' -- Farideh Farhi, Independent Scholar'Delving into the origins and dynamics of the Islamic Republic's complex constellation of state institutions, this is required reading for students and specialists of not just Iranian and area studies, but also revolution, state-building and institutionalism more broadly.' -- Eric Lob, Associate Professor of Politics and International Relations, Florida International University

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Book SynopsisPrepared under the direction of the Historical Section of the Foreign Office, the aim of these handbooks was to provide British delegates to the Paris Peace Conference of 1919 with detailed information on the geographical, economic, historical and political aspects of the countries concerned. The volumes offer a wealth of authoritative information provided by the Intelligence Divisions of the Admiralty, the Military and the Foreign Office. This three-volume set covers the countries and issues relating to the Middle East and North Africa including Turkey, Syria, Persia and the Persian Gulf, Palestine, Mesopotamia and Armenia.This edition which is thematically arranged for the first time, is introduced by William Roger Louis, a leading authority on the British Empire and Commonwealth and decolonization.

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Book SynopsisThe Mongol invasions in the first half of the thirteenth century led to profound and shattering changes to the historical trajectory of Islamic West Asia. As this new volume in The Idea of Iran series suggests, sudden conquest from the east was preceded by events closer to home which laid the groundwork for the later Mongol success. In the mid-twelfth century the Seljuq empire rapidly unravelled, its vast provinces fragmenting into a patchwork of mostly short-lived principalities and kingdoms. In time, new powers emerged, such as the pagan Qara-Khitai in Central Asia; the Khwarazmshahs in Khwarazm, Khorosan and much of central Iran; and the Ghurids to the southeast. Yet all were blown away by the Mongols, who faced no resistance from a sufficiently muscular imperial competitor and whose influx was viewed by contemporaries as cataclysmic. Distinguished scholars including David O Morgan and the late C E Bosworth here discuss the dynasties that preceded the invasion – and aspects of their literature, poetry and science – as well as the conquerors themselves and their rule in Iran from 1219 to 1256.

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Book SynopsisBritain's military involvement in Afghanistan is a contentious subject, yet it is often forgotten that the current conflict is in fact the fourth in a string of such wars dating back more than 170 years. Aiming to protect British India from the expanding Russian empire, the British fought a series of conflicts on Afghan territory between 1838 and 1919. The Anglo-Afghan wars of the 19th and early 20th centuries were ill-conceived and led to some of the worst military disasters ever sustained by British forces in this part of the world, with poor strategy in the First Afghan War resulting in the annihilation of 16,000 soldiers and civilians in a single week. In his new book, Jules Stewart explores the potential danger of replaying Britain's military catastrophes and considers what can be learnt from revisiting the story of these earlier Afghan wars.Table of ContentsIntroduction 1. Cradle of Political Insanity 2. Victoria’s First War 3. The Present Happy Moment 4. Vengeance is Mine, Sayeth Lord Ellenborough 5. The Pure Instinct of Dominion 6. Chronic Suspicion and Undignified Alarm 7. Nothing but Misfortune and Disaster 8. Once More into the Breech Bibliography

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Book SynopsisWinston Churchill began his career as a junior officer and war correspondent in the North West borderlands of British India, and this experience was the beginning of his long relationship with the Islamic world. Overturning the widely-accepted consensus that Churchill was indifferent to, and even contemptuous of, matters concerning the Middle East, this book unravels Churchill's nuanced understanding of the edges of the British Empire. Warren Dockter analyses the future Prime Minister's experiences of the East, including his work as Colonial Under-Secretary in the early 1900s, his relations with the Ottomans and conduct during the Dardanelles Campaign of 1915-16, his arguments with David Lloyd-George over Turkey, and his pragmatic support of Syria and Saudi Arabia during World War II. Challenging the popular depiction of Churchill as an ignorant imperialist when it came to the Middle East, Dockter suggests that his policy making was often more informed and relatively progressive when compared to the Orientalist prejudices of many of his contemporaries.Trade ReviewAn enlightening and original account of an important and neglected aspect of Churchill’s strategic and political world view. It forces us to rethink what we know about the origins of the modern Middle East. Essential reading for Churchill scholars and general students alike. -- Richard Toye, Professor of Modern History, University of ExeterWarren Dockter has written the first comprehensive account of Churchill’s lifelong and many-side engagement with the Muslim world. Combining meticulous research with insight and imagination, he restores to its rightful place a theme of crucial importance for the assessment of the great man’s character and career. -- Paul Addison, Honorary Fellow, University of EdinburghA timely, penetrating, and balanced study. The trenchant analysis it provides of encounters, perceptions, and complexities is bound to have an abiding endurance and relevance like the multifaceted figure and culture it examines. -- Professor Riad Nourallah, Director of Research, London Academy of DiplomacyA panoramic and insightful overview of Churchill’s lifelong relationship with the Muslim world which reveals it to be both more complex and more interesting than is generally portrayed. -- Allen Packwood, Director of the Churchill Archives Centre, University of CambridgeWarren Dockter's timely and important book has illuminated Churchill's relationship with the Islamic world which has previously been so misunderstood. It is necessary reading for Churchill scholars and anyone interested in the Middle East. Truly a work of monumental scholarship. -- Boris Johnson, author of The Churchill FactorTable of ContentsList of Illustrations Acknowledgements Introduction Early Encounters Of Oil and Ottomans Churchill : Minister of War and Air Churchill at the Colonial Office The Legacy of the Cairo Conference The Twenties and Thirties Churchill, the Middle East, and India during World War II The Postwar World Conclusion Notes Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisViolent non-state actors have become almost endemic to political movements in the Middle East and the Horn of Africa. This book examines why they play such a key role and the different ways in which they have developed. Placing them in the context of the region, separate chapters cover the organizations that are currently active, including: The Muslim Brotherhood, The Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, Jabhat al-Nusra, Hamas, Hizbullah, the PKK, al-Shabab and the Huthis. The book shows that while these groups are a new phenomenon, they also relate to other key factors including the ‘unfinished business’ of the colonial and postcolonial eras and tacit encouragement of the Wahhabi/Salafi/jihadi da‘wa by some regional powers. Their diversity means violent non-state actors elude simple classification, ranging from ‘national’ and ‘transnational’ to religious and political movements. However, by examining their origins, their supporters and their motivations, this book helps explain their ubiquity in the region.Table of ContentsPreface Victor Kattan Foreword: Peter Sluglett and the Study of the Modern Middle East Toby Dodge 1. Introduction: Violent Non-State Actors in the Arab World: some General Considerations Peter Sluglett 2. The Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood and Violence: Porous Boundaries and Context Khalid Hroub 3. The Islamic State in Iraq and Syria: Ideology vs. Context Hassan A. Barari 4. Between Religion, Warfare and Politics: the Case of Jabhat al-Nusra in Syria Mohamed-Ali Adraoui 5. The 2007 Hamas-Fatah Conflict in Gaza and the Israeli-American Demands Victor Kattan 6. Hizbullah and the Lebanese State: Indispensable, Unpredictable – Destabilizing? Peter Sluglett 7. When the State becomes a Non-State: Yemen in the Huthi/Ali Abdullah Salih Alliance Daniel Martin Varisco 8. Violent Non-State Actors in Somalia: al-Shabab and the Pirates Afyare A. Elmi and Ruqaya Mohamed 9. “Being in Time”: Kurdish Movement and Quests of Universal Hamit Borzolan Afterword Abdullah Baabood

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Book SynopsisQanats are ubiquitous, yet unseen, and a clever way to create streams where none exist in nature. For 3,000 years, they have made life possible in impossible places and still sustain life and livelihoods in many countries today. After 30 years of field research, Dale Lightfoot provides the first comprehensive study of the qanat and sheds new light on their unique locations and distribution, their origins and history, their ecology, current status and use. Qanats are remarkably engineered underground aqueducts, using gravity to bring water to villages and towns where reliable flowing surface water is scarce or absent. Although an ancient technology, more than 46,000 of them still flow around the world today, with their sustainable nature making them a focus of renewed interest.Richly illustrated with images and a series of original maps, this is the most complete record to date of the locations and distribution of qanats worldwide, including examp

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Book SynopsisI.B. Tauris in association with the Institute of Ismaili Studies How has the Ismaili branch of Shi‘i Islam interacted with other Islamic communities throughout history? The groups and movements that make up Islamic civilisation are diverse and varied yet, while scholarship has analysed many branches of Islam in isolation, the exchanges and mutual influences between them has not been sufficiently recognised. This book traces the interactions between Ismaili intellectual thought and the philosophies of other Islamic groups to shed light on the complex and interwoven nature of Islamic civilisation. Based on a broad range of primary sources from the early medieval to the late nineteenth century, the book brings together different disciplines within Islamic Studies to cover polemical and doctrinal literature, law, mysticism, rituals and philosophy. The main Ismaili groups, such as the Fatimids, Nizaris and Tayyibis, are represented, as well as lesser known traditions such as that associated with the mountain region of Badakhshan in Central Asia. Religious syncretism, particularly in the Indian subcontinent and in Yemen, is considered alongside cultural interactions as reflected in the circulation of books in Fatimid markets, and various literary and mythical traditions, some still little explored. The chapters include contributions from leading experts in the field shed new light on the close and complex relationships very different Islamic groups and movements have enjoyed throughout the centuries.Table of ContentsIntroduction Orkhan Mir-Kasimov, The Institute of Ismaili Studies, UK. PART I: In the Eyes of Others: Mutual Reflections in Polemical and Doctrinal Literature 1. Sunni Perceptions of the Ismailis: Medieval Perspectives Farhad Daftary, The Institute of Ismaili Studies, UK 2. Ismaili Polemics Against Opponents in the Early Fatimid Period Paul E. Walker, The University of Chicago, USA 3. On the Limited Representation of the Ismailis in al-Saduq’s (d. 381/991) Kamal al-din Roy Vilozny, The University of Haifa, Israel 4. ‘The Places where the Wrestler is Thrown Down’ (Masari' al-musari') and the Question of Tusi’s Rejection of his Prior Nizari Identity Toby Mayer, The Institute of Ismaili Studies, UK PART II: Authority and Law 5. Ismaili and Sunni Elaborations of the Sources of Law: The Kitab al-Majalis wa’l-musayarat by al-Qadi Abu Hanifa al-Nu'man and the Risala of al-Shafi'i: A Comparative Study Agostino Cilardo, University of Naples "L'Orientale", Italy 6. Sacrifice, Circumcision and the Ruler in the Medieval Islamic West: The Ismaili-Fatimid Legacy Maribel Fierro, Spanish National Research Council, Spain 7. Human Action, God's Will: Further Thoughts on the Divine Command (amr) in the Teachings of Muhyi al-Din Ibn al-'Arabi (560-638/1165-1240) Michael Ebstein, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel PART III: The Ikhwan al-Safa', Theosophical and philosophical trends 8. Onto-cosmology and Hierohistory in the Manuscript Tradition of the Rasa'il Ikhwan al-Safa' Carmela Baffioni, The Institute of Ismaili Studies, UK 9. Extra-Ismaili Sources and a Shift of Paradigm in Nizari Ismailism Daryoush Mohammad Poor, The Institute of Ismaili Studies, UK 10. Nature according to Hamid al-Din al-Kirmani (d. after 411/1020–21) and Mulla Sadra (d. 1050/1640): Ismaili Influence on a Twelver Thinker or Dependence on Common Sources Janis Esots, The Institute of Ismaili Studies, UK PART IV: Mystical Trends 11. Early Ismailis and Other Muslims: Polemics and Borrowing in Kitab al-Kashf Mushegh Asatryan, The University of Calgary, Canada 12. The Intellectual Interactions of Yemeni Tayyibism with the Early Shi'i Tradition Daniel De Smet, KU Leuven, Belgium 13. The Nizari Ismaili Theory of the Resurrection (Qiyama) and Post-Mongol Iranian Messianism Orkhan Mir-Kasimov, The Institute of Ismaili Studies, UK PART V: Ismaili-Sufi Relationships in Badakhshan 14. Ismaili-Sufi and Ismaili-Twelver Relations in Badakhshan in the Post-Alamut Period: The Chiragh-nama Nourmamadcho Nourmamadchoev, The Institute of Ismaili Studies, UK 15. The Concept of Wilaya in Mubarak-i Wakhani’s Chihil Dunya: A Traditional Ismaili-Sufi Perspective on the Origins of Divine Guidance Abdulmamad Iloliev, The Institute of Ismaili Studies, UK PART VI: The Interaction and Circulation of Knowledge across Religious and Geographical Boundaries 16. Beyond Space and Time: The Itinerant Life of Books in the Fatimid Market Place Delia Cortese, Middlesex University London, UK 17. On the Cusp of ‘Islamic’ and ‘Hindu’ Worldviews The Ginan Literature and the Dialectics of Self and Other Wafi A. Momin, The Institute of Ismaili Studies, UK 18. Spring’s Equinox: Nawruz in Ismaili Thought Shafique N. Virani, The University of Toronto, Canada 19. Yemeni Ismailism in Jewish Philosophy, 6th/12th to 11th/17th Centuries: A General Historical Sketch Mauro Zonta, Sapienza University of Rome, Italy

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Book SynopsisThe century after the conquests of Timur witnessed the division of eastern and western Iran between his Turko-Mongol successors, and a flowering of Persian culture in the great cities of Herat, Samarqand and Tabriz, among others. In this, the ninth volume in The Idea of Iran series, leading scholars analyse the ways that Timurid contemporaries viewed their traditions and their environment, asking questions such as: what was the view of outsiders, and how does modern scholarship define the distinctive aspects of the period? Essential reading for scholars, students, and all those interested in the history of Iran, the book considers the political, religious and cultural history of this rich and highly productive interval that was the springboard for the formation of new imperial Ottoman, Safavid, Mughal and Ozbek orders of succeeding centuries.Table of ContentsList of illustrations Acknowledgements Introduction Charles Melville, University of Cambridge, UK Arbiters of Iran: Chroniclers and Patrons in an Age of Literary Bounty Shahzad Bashir, Stanford University, USA The Local and Universal in Turko-Iranian Ideology Beatrice Forbes Manz, Tufts University, USA An Idea of Iran on Mongol Foundations: Territory, Dynasties and Tabriz as Royal City (Seventeenth/thirteenth to Ninth/fifteenth Century Daniel Zakrzewski, Philips University Marburg, Germany Two Later Ninth/fifteenth-Century Iranian Travellers John E. Woods, University of Chicago, USA Imitational Poetry as Pious Hermeneutics? Jami and Fani’s Rewriting of Hafez’s Opening Ghazal Marc Toutant, Centre National de la Research Scientifique, France A Man of Letters: Hoseyn Va‘ez Kashefi and his Persian Project Maria Subtelny, University of Toronto, Canada The Timurid Book: golshan-e naqsh-o tazhib – A Garden of Painting and Illumination Eleanor Sims From Maragha to Samarqand and Beyond: Revisiting a Quartet of Scientific Traditions in Greater Persia (ca. 1300s–1500s) Elaheh Kheirandish, Harvard, USA Index

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Book Synopsis**Longlisted for the 2023 Cundill History Prize**The iconic deserts of the American southwest could not have been colonized and settled without the help of desert experts from the Middle East. For example: In 1856, a caravan of thirty-three camels arrived in Indianola, Texas, led by a Syrian cameleer the Americans called "Hi Jolly." This "camel corps," the US government hoped, could help the army secure the new southwest swath of the country just wrested from Mexico. Though the dream of the camel corps - and sadly, the camels - died, the idea of drawing on expertise, knowledge, and practices from the desert countries of the Middle East did not. As Natalie Koch demonstrates in this evocative, narrative history, the exchange of colonial technologies between the Arabian Peninsula and United States over the past two centuries - from date palm farming and desert agriculture to the utopian sci-fi dreams of Biosphere 2 and Frank Herbert's Dune - bound the two regions together, solidifying the colonization of the US West and, eventually, the reach of American power into the Middle East. Koch teaches us to see deserts anew, not as mythic sites of romance or empty wastelands but as an "arid empire," a crucial political space where imperial dreams coalesce.Trade ReviewArid Empire explores the dual relationship between colonization of the U.S. Southwest and diplomatic relations in the Middle East -- Hunter Bassler * KPNX Channel 12 *With lucid prose, a big narrative sweep and an impressive command of the facts, Natalie Koch exposes the connections -- both historic and modern -- between two dry spots on the globe with vastly different human cultures that forged strong economic and military ties. The 'double exposure' between Arizona and Arabia is a vital contribution to geographic scholarship, as well as a missing piece of the puzzle for residents of both America's backyard Sahara and the Arabian Peninsula's version of the Mojave. -- Tom Zoellner, author of Rim to RiverI've waited for a book like this for a long time. Arizona's place in our collective imagination has been as a water-starved, overheated, dangerous crossing point for Latin American migrants. But it is these things and more. From the experimental agricultural programs to the refugee settlement communities and, yes, the camels, it has also been a site for the projection of imperial power in the Middle East, North Africa, and the rest of the world. Now that Natalie Koch has helped us see it so clearly, we won't ever be able to unsee it. -- Geraldo Cadava, author of The Hispanic Republican and Standing on Common GroundArid Empire is a surprising history book about the centuries-old cyclical relationship between two deserts half a world away from each other - and their continued mutual influence. -- Jeff Fleischer * Foreword Reviews *Koch successfully capitalizes on a series of carefully documented case studies to unpack the United States' often elusive and indirect pseudocolonial ambitions. In doing so, she reveals how, in the name of scientific progress and technological advancement, US policymakers and private companies - with close ties to institutions of higher education - gained access to desert resources and profited from them, all while claiming to reject old-world colonial attitudes. The outcomes were nonetheless similar. -- Pamela Karimi * Science *Like the sunglasses in the classic sci-fi film They Live, Arid Empire gives us the lenses we need to detect and critique 20th century ideologies at work in the 21st. -- Zachary Sugg * Water Alternatives *At once a fascinating history of US and Arab attempts to make the desert productive in human terms and a comprehensive discussion of what colonizing the desert means. -- Ron Jacobs * Counterpunch *Arid Empire offers an insightful and beautifully written history with a unique and most-welcome transregional premise. -- Sean Lawrence * Enviromental History *Simultaneously a work of historical geography, political ecology, international relations, and cultural studies, Natalie Koch's Arid Empire denaturalizes settler-colonial and modernist myths by uncovering connections between the long-term economic developments of Arizona and the Arabian Peninsula. -- Clarence Dodge * The AAG Review of Books *Table of ContentsAcknowledgementsFiguresArea MapsChapter 1, Double Exposure Chapter 2, DatesChapter 3, DiplomacyChapter 4, DesalChapter 5, DreamsChapter 6, Deserts

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Book SynopsisIn this book, first published in Hebrew in 1975 and now available in English for the first time with an introduction by Noam Chomsky, Amnon Kapeliouk traces the policies and attitudes that led to the 1973 Arab-Israel war. He describes the multiple diplomatic overtures from Egyptian presidents Nasser and Sadat after 1967 that Israel ignored or contemptuously rejected, as well as the complacent attitude that had become fully entrenched in the Israeli military establishment. On the political level, the triumvirate of Golda Meir, Moshe Dayan and Israel Galili feature prominently as a study in arrogance and incompetence. Kapeliouk also notes the protest movement that arose among active-duty soldiers as well as veterans in the wake of the war demanding political accountability for the failures of the war. Finally, the book examines Israel's policy of colonizing the territories occupied in 1967, starting with the Golan Heights and later spreading to the West Bank ("Judaea and Samaria") and the Sinai - a policy that did much to convince the leaders of Arab states that war was their only option.Introduced by Noam Chomsky and Irene Gendzier.Trade ReviewAmnon Kapeliouk's Not by Omission demonstrates conclusively that the 1973 Arab-Israeli War did not have to happen. Israel's dismissal of every Egyptian peace overture gave Egyptian President Anwar Sadat no option but to launch a war if he hoped to regain the Sinai Peninsula, occupied by Israel since the 1967 Arab-Israeli War. Nonetheless, the arrogant over-confidence of Israel's military leadership that Arab armies would not dare to attack Israel so soon after their devastating defeat left Israel unprepared for war. The most impressive achievement of Not by Omission is that is based on publicly available documentation - newspaper reports and 42 published pages (out of 1,500) of the report of Israel's National Commission of Inquiry into the failures of the military. That is to say, diligent Hebrew-reading observers could have drawn conclusions similar to those Kapeliouk reached in real time. Why didn't they? -- Joel BeininThis superb analysis of the fateful policies of the Israeli political leadership that almost produced a national disaster in 1973 retains a crucial relevance 20 years after its original publication, and deserves the widest readership. It convincingly demonstrates that Israel rejected a golden opportunity after the 1967 War to achieve peace with its Arab neighbors as well as regional stability because of its unwillingness to forego further expansionist territorial ambitions. -- Richard A. FalkAvailable in English for the first time, the late Amnon Kapeliouk's study of the pivotal 1973 Yom Kippur/Ramadan War is a significant contribution to the field of Middle East Studies and deserves to be read widely. A critical yet intimate examination of Israel's political and military leaders and thinkers, Not by Omission, analyzes their failures and why they occurred, and how, for a time, they changed Israel and the Arab world particularly after Israel's stunning victory in the 1967 war. An important work full of prescient insights that remain as relevant today as when they were first written nearly 50 years ago. -- Sara Roy, Center for Middle Eastern Studies, Harvard UniversityAmnon Kapeliouk was a courageous Israeli journalist and writer who placed the Palestinians at the centre of his work. Long before it became fashionable, he argued that the occupation of the West Bank and Gaza Strip in 1967 was unsustainable, morally and politically, and that, without a just peace, Israelis would face an uncertain future. Kapeliouk's most influential book was Lo Mehdal (Not By Omission, 1975) explaining why the 1973 war was not just an error of Israel's tactical intelligence, but was based on an entire misconception of Arab grievances and the determination to right them. -- Ian Black * Guardian *Amnon Kapeliouk, one of the oldest active journalists in Israel, worked for Al HaMishmar and Yedioth Aharonoth, as well as Le Monde and Le Monde Diplomatique. He was also known for his close ties to Yasser Arafat and other leaders of the Palestine Liberation Organization. * Haaretz *

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Book SynopsisThis book brings together an inter-disciplinary group of Palestinian, Israeli, American, British and Irish scholars who theorise 'the question of Palestine'. Critically committed to supporting the Palestinian quest for self determination, they present new theoretical ways of thinking about Palestine. These include the 'Palestinization' of ethnic and racial conflicts, the theorization of Palestine as camp, ghetto and prison, the tourist/activist gaze, the role of gendered resistance, the centrality of the memory of the 1948 Nakba (catastrophe) to the contemporary understanding of the conflict, and the historic roots of the contemporary discourse on Palestine. The book offers a novel examination of how the Palestinian experience of being governed under what Giorgio Agamben names a 'state of exception' may be theorised as paradigmatic for new forms of global governance. An indispensable read for any serious scholar.Trade Review'The book should be read closely by serious pro-Palestinian activists wishing to sharpen their conceptual tools in the ceaseless battle against Zionist propaganda.' Electronic Intifada, August 2008 'This book presents us with sharp critical thinking about everything from the applicability of Agamben's concept of the "state of exception" or Foucault's theory of modern "biopower" to Israel's control over Palestinians in prisons, camps, and ghettoes, to the specific dynamics of racialization, colonial violence against, and appropriation of Palestinians, even by the well-meaning. Both theorizing and chronicling the varied forms of Israeli power, these provocative essays are grounded in details that can still shock.' Lila Abu-Lughod, Columbia University 'This timely volume provides a fresh epistemological framework to think Palestine in the context of the Israeli colonial occupation of its territories as well as of its dispersed populations. It shifts the center of gravity from the temporal dimension of 'state of exception' to its spatial as well as its racializing features. The book makes an important critical contribution to political theory and deserves to be read by anyone concerned with the question of Palestine.' Yehouda Shenhav, Tel-Aviv UniversityTable of Contents Acknowledgements Introduction: Thinking Palestine - Ronit Lentin Part I: The Palestinianization of Race 1. Racial Palestinianization - David Theo Goldberg 2. Globalizing racism and myths of the other in the war on terror - Gargi Bhattacharyya Part II: Palestine: Biopolitics and States of Exception 3. Bio-power and thanato-politics: The case of the colonial occupation in Palestine - Honaida Ghanim 4. Palestinian Refugee Camps in Lebanon: Laboratories of State-in-the-Making, Discipline and Islamist Radicalism - Sari Hanafi 5. Sovereignty and the state of exception: al-Ansar mass detention camp in Lebanon - Laleh Khalili 6. The ghettoization of Palestine - Alina Korn 7. The persistence of the exception: Some remarks on the story of Israeli constitutionalism - Raef Zreik 8. The Mukhabarat State of Israel: A State of Oppression is not a State of Exception - Ilan Pappe Part III: Palestine: Contested Representations 9. Palestinian 'Munadelat': Between Western Representation and Lived Reality - Nahla Abdo 10. Authenticity and political agency on study trips to Palestine - David Landy 11. The contested memory of dispossession: Commemorizing the Palestinian Nakba in Israel - Ronit Lentin 12. The state, the text and the critic in a globalized world: The case of Edward Said - Conor McCarthy 13. Understanding the present through the past: Between British and Israeli discourses on Palestine - Anaheed Al-Hardan

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Book SynopsisThe first paperback edition, in line with latest historiography - "Ottoman Empire" is a major and advanced early modern power, this book is based on a huge study of original sources and personal accounts. The author leading historian of early modern Ottoman Empire in all aspects - political, economic, diplomatic and cultural. In Islamic law the world was made up of the House of Islam and the House of War with the Ottoman Sultan - the perceived successor to the Caliphs - supreme ruler of the Islamic world. However, Suraiya Faroqhi demonstrates that there was no iron curtain between the Ottoman and other worlds but rather a long-established network of diplomatic, financial, cultural and religious connections. These extended to the empires of Asia and the modern states of Europe. Faroqhi's book is based on a huge study of original and early modern sources, including diplomatic records, travel and geographical writing, as well as personal accounts. Its breadth and originality will make it essential reading for historians of Europe and the Middle East.Trade Review"'An illuminating book by one of the world's leading experts on Ottoman history' - Noel Malcom, Sunday Telegraph"

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Book SynopsisPresents unique insights from key player in first Gulf War, who continues to have an extremely high profile. There is renewed interest in diplomacy of first Gulf War in wake of current Iraq crisis. As Iraqi troops surged into Kuwait in 1990, British Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Alan Munro played a vital role in both forging and maintaining a formidable coalition to evict them. Never before had Western and Arab states fought side by side against another Arab country. He reveals here all the behind-the-scenes manouevring that made this possible. He recalls with verve and candour the frantic phone calls, the diplomatic interplay, the confusion of the battlefield, and the difficulties of dealing with the international media. Munro surrounds his revelations with a thoughtful and informed analysis of the international politics of the Middle East. With Western armies once more deployed in the Gulf, this new updated paperback edition of Munro's book provides a timely reminder of the pressures, pitfalls and potential of international diplomacy in the region.Trade Review"An authoritative account......impressive and valuable" - The Spectator "A frank and entertaining book" - Patrick Seale "Superbly chronicled" - The Wall Street Journal"

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Book Synopsis'All wars are alike. What I experienced in Lebanon, others experienced in France, in Spain, in Yugoslavia, or elsewhere. Yes, all wars are alike, because while weapons change, the men who wage and are subjected to war do not in the least.' Alexandre Najjar was eight when Lebanon erupted into a bloody and brutal conflict; he was twenty-three when the guns at last fell silent. After seven years of voluntary exile spent clearing his mind from the unbearable nightmare of civil war, he is now back amongst his family and friends, and the past is quickly catching up with him. As he reacquaints himself with his bullet-riddled city, Alexandre is haunted by vivid memories, which he sets down with extraordinary imagination and humour. Sometimes nostalgic, and sometimes brutal and shocking, "The School of War" offers unforgettable insights into the experience of childhood in war.Trade Review'A marvellously affecting memoir of the war in Lebanon: perfectly pitched and intensely evocative, and all the more powerful from being seen through the eyes of a child.' William Boyd 'Delicate and unforgettable.' Elle 'One of the most talented francophone writers of his generation.' Le Monde

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Book SynopsisAt the height of her career, Bell journeyed into the heart of the Middle East retracing the steps of the ancient rulers who left tangible markers of their presence in the form of castles, palaces, mosques, tombs and temples. Among the many sites she visited were Ephesus, Binbirkilise and Carchemish in modern-day Turkey as well as Ukhaidir, Babylon and Najaf within the borders of modern Iraq. Lisa Cooper here explores Bell's achievements, emphasizing the tenacious, inquisitive side of her extraordinary personality, the breadth of her knowledge and her overall contribution to the archaeology of the Middle East. Featuring many of Bell's own photographs, this is a unique portrait of a remarkable life.Table of ContentsChapter 1: Gertrude Bell: A brief sketch Chapter 2: First forays into archaeology Chapter 3: Euphrates journey Chapter 4: Ukhaidir: desert splendour Chapter 5: Encounters in the heart of Mesopotamia Chapter 6: Bridging past and present: Gertrude Bell and the new Iraq

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Book SynopsisColloquial Arabic storytelling is most commonly associated with The Thousandvand One Nights. But few people are aware of a much larger corpus of narrative texts known as popular epic. These heroic romantic tales, originating in the Middle Ages, form vast cycles of adventure stories whose most remarkable feature is their portrayal of powerful and memorable women. Wildly appreciated by medieval audiences, and spread by professional storytellers throughout the cities of the Muslim world, these fictions were printed and reprinted over the centuries and comprise a vital part of Arab culture. Yet virtually none are available in translation, and so remain almost unknown to a non-Arab public. Remke Kruk at last makes these neglected romances available to a Western audience. She recounts the story of Princess Dhat al-Himma, brave and undefeated leader of the Muslim army in its wars against the Byzantines; of Ghamra, brought up as a boy to become a fearless leader of men; and of cool-headed Qannasa, raiding from her mountain fortress to capture and seduce her enemies before putting them pitilessly to the sword.The Warrior Women of Islam puts a bold new complexion on gender roles and the wider perception of women in the Middle East.Trade Review'The Warrior Women of Islam is a groundbreaking scholarly examination of a topic that has long deserved more detailed study. The book offers a fascinating and insightful investigation into the representation of women warriors as found in a major narrative genre of pre-modern Arabic literature, the popular epic. The author's incisive analysis is unique in that it encompasses every major example of the genre and hence provides a panoramic view of the subject. The summation of decades of study by the author, this is a major contribution to the field.' - Peter Heath, Chancellor, American University of Sharjah, UAE 'Remke Kruk has written a delightful and indispensable study on a tradition of popular Arab storytelling little known or appreciated beyond its indigenous cultural and religious borders. Kruk expertly guides the reader through stories that should challenge common Western perceptions of the Middle Eastern woman, medieval or modern.' - David Waines, Professor Emeritus of Islamic Studies, Lancaster University; 'We can only praise the author for the courage and expertise she has shown in digging so extensively in such unexplored territory and for having provided translations of many passages from works of which complete modern Arabic editions are not available. Kruk's book appears an essential addition to any reader interested in the diversity of the literary and popular culture in the Arabic language for the wealth of material it provides and so carefully examines. The final result is a thorough and attentive study written in a clear prose that makes both an impressive work of scholarship and an enjoyable reading for specialists as well as for the wider public - a trailblazer for further studies in the field of Arabic literature.' Nicoletta Fazio, Folklore; 'She [Kruk] has opened up an immense field of research to others as well as giving the non-specialist a fascinating and enjoyable read.' Mary Hossain, Journal of Islamic Studies. 'a unique source for the visual culture of the epics discussed' and 'highly informative.' Melanie Magidow, Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies, 77;Table of ContentsPreface A Note on Transliteration Abbreviations A Note on the Illustrations List of Illustrations Acknowledgements Chapter I Arabic popular epic: an introductory note Chapter II Warrior women in the Arabic tradition Chapter III Sîrat Dhât al-Himma I: Princess Dhât al-Himma and her many battles Chapter IV Sîrat Dhât al-Himma II Chapter V Sîrat Dhât al-Himma III Chapter VI Warrior women in Sîrat ‘Antar I Chapter VII Warrior women in Sîrat ‘Antar II Chapter VIII Prince H’amza al-Bahlawân: in praise of traditional womanhood Chapter IX Sîrat Baybars I: Lionesses Chapter X Sîrat Baybars II: Warrior queens Chapter XI King Sayf ibn Dhî Yazan, the soft hearted I: Qamarîya Chapter XII King Sayf ibn Dhî Yazan II: T’âma Chapter XIII King Sayf ibn Dhî Yazan III: Munyat an-Nufûs Chapter XIV Final observations Notes List of illustrations Bibliography

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Book SynopsisThe size and intensity of the Israeli army's operations since 2000 as well as the unprecedented scale of settlement construction brought about a qualitative change in the relationship between Palestinians and Israelis, altering it, Klein argues, from a border conflict to an ethnic struggle, pure and simple. Jewish Israel has now established its ethno-security regime over the whole area, from Jordan to the Mediterranean, a process that was accelerated and facilitated by election results in Israel, the United States and the Palestinian Authority. Arguing against the prevailing wisdom, which describes Israel's control system as merely one of 'occupation', in The Shift Klein contends that it is based now on twin ethnic and security pillars and seeks to include Israeli citizens of Palestinian origin. The core of his book examines the current ruling structure of the shrinking Jewish majority over the almost majority Palestinians and its different levels: Israeli Palestinian citizens, the residents of Jerusalem, the two West Bank groups divided by the Separation Barrier and those living under siege in the Gaza Strip. The Shift is based on primary sources and data that usually are published separately. Klein weaves them into his ground-breaking book, offering the reader a comprehensive portrayal of the on-the-ground realities and providing a new framework for understanding the status of the durable Israeli-Palestinian conflict, its history, and its likely future course.Trade Review'The strongest part of the book is the material and analysis on the settlers and how they are stitched into the military and bureaucratic structures on both sides of the 1967 border. We get a sense of the ideological forces from below that drive radical settlers, but also a sense of the powerful political and military structures that enable them to continue to expand.' * John Chalcraft, LSE *'A brilliant and compelling account of the hard ground truths that now shape the Israeli-Palestinian struggle and seem to preclude a happy outcome. ... if you still believe in the possibility of Israeli-Palestinian peace, and especially if you don't, this book is for you.' * Aaron David Miller, author of The Much Too Promised Land: America's Elusive Search for Arab-Israeli Peace *'This dense little book, a fact-filled account of Israel and the Palestinians since the June 1967 war, treats not peace-process politics but actual developments on the ground. - Klein likens Israeli control of the Palestinians to colonialism, with striking comparisons to Algeria under French rule. He hits another hot button in arguing cogently that the system amounts to apartheid, but a softer apartheid than prevailed in South Africa.' * Foreign Affairs *

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Book SynopsisSince that fateful week of war in June 1967, when Israel's speedy military victory over the Arab states redrew the map of the Middle East, Europe, at least in terms of its influence in this crucial region, has been a cause looking for an opportunity (to borrow Henry Kissinger's classic description of Russian foreign policy). Europe's ongoing attempt to assert itself as a key player in the Middle East conflict has come to nought and it has failed to bring the warring parties to the negotiating table. For the most part it has not even been able to arrive at a united and coherent view regarding how to act vis a vis this conflict. Even when it has overcome this obstacle it has rarely succeeded in turning this united position into effective action. Though successive generations of European leaders have shared Joschka Fischer's belief that 'solving the Middle East and developing a real vision of peace is the major, major challenge for Europe', nowhere has the contrast between rhetoric and action been more obvious than in its attempts to meet this challenge. Inglorious Disarray tells the story of Europe's evolving, albeit stilted and often frustrating, involvement in the Israel-Palestine conflict over the last half century. It doing so it sets out how Europe's role has affected its relationship with Israelis, Palestinians and the wider Arab world, not to mention Europe's Muslim population, and how it has influenced Europe's political development in the decades since it became an economic powerhouse.Trade Review'Inglorious Disarray' is a fine work of scholarship that draws on a massive array of sources for what is a definitive account of the often strained relationships between the main players. * Sunday Business Post *'Inglorious Disarray' offers a meticulously researched account of Europe's constant engagement with Israel and the Palestinians since the Six-Day War of 1967. * 15 Minutes Magazine *'Inglorious Disarray' is not the first publication tracking the evolution of Europe's efforts to advance Middle East peace. However... it is certainly the most detailed and most valuable account so far, offering a wealth of insights to anyone working on the issue. -- Daniel Mockli, Office of the Foreign Minister, Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs, H-Diplo Roundtable ReviewsA serious, cold-eyed account of political Europe's ineffective role in the Middle East conflict. Miller's unsparing analysis will provide much food for thought both for policy makers and for those with a more general interest in the region. This book will add to Miller's reputation as an impressive scholar. -- Lord Bew of Donegore, Professor of Irish Politics, Queen's University Belfast, and author of 'Ireland: The Politics of Enmity 1789-20'a stimulating and genuinely original study that provides a new perspective on the ongoing Israel-Palestine question. Moreover, he gives insights into the workings of the EEC/EU, and the reasons for its failure to translate economic power into international influence . . . it will be essential reading for serious scholars of the Arab-Israeli dispute, as well as being of interest to the general reader. -- Simon C. Smith, University of Hull, H-Diplo Roundtable ReviewsI found 'Inglorious Disarray' extremely interesting... it certainly adds another dimension to the Israel-Palestine conflict and is comprehensive, well informed and backed up by factual evidence rather than supposition. -- Professor Colin Shindler, SOAS, author of 'The Triumph of Military Zionism: Nationalism and the Origins of the Israeli Right'This passionate and lucid account on the EU's role in the Middle East Peace Process should appeal to experts and the general public. Drawing from a variety of sources - Arab, Israeli, European and American - it narrates eloquently European Middle East policy in action and how this policy is perceived in the region. Rory Miller does an outstanding job in explaining how and why the EU plays 'second fiddle' to any US administration's intent to on making an Israeli-Palestinian peace deal. -- Walter Posch, SWP Berlin

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Book SynopsisIn command of the world's largest hydrocarbon reserves and occupying a central role in both Middle Eastern and global politics, the six traditional monarchies -- Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) -- that comprise the Gulf Cooperation Council are now among the most heavily researched yet most commonly misunderstood actors in the international system. Christopher Davidson, an acclaimed expert on the fast moving politics and economics of the Gulf, together with five other leading authorities on the region, has brought together a unique collection of comprehensive yet highly accessible analyses of these six states. Following a succinct theoretical overview of the various achievements, opportunities, and collective challenges faced by the monarchies, each chapter discusses their individual historical backgrounds, political structures, economic diversification efforts, and future prospects. Drawing on the latest research in the field, the most up-to-date statistics, and written in a frank and critical manner, this textbook is a valuable addition to university reading lists on Middle Eastern studies or political science, while also appealing to the general interest reader.Trade Review'Power and Politics in the Persian Gulf Monarchies is a superb addition to the existing literature on an area long neglected by scholars of the Middle East. By providing comprehensive, in-depth analyses of the domestic politics of the GCC states, the volume highlights the travails and complexities of their political development and the inevitability of the political changes to come. It is essential reading for anyone interested in the serious study of the Middle East and the Persian Gulf.' * Mehran Kamrava, Director of the Center for International and Regional Studies, Georgetown University-Qatar *'The perfect briefing on the history, political dynamics and personalities, foreign policy, and economy of the Arab Gulf states: a lucid summing up of themes and trends in these four areas; country chapters pursuing them systematically and accessibly; a wealth of hard-to-come-by information; and incisive analysis representing the most recent research. Just as useful to novices as to the initiated.' * Gerd Nonneman, Dean, Georgetown University School of Foreign Service in Qatar and Visiting Professor of Gulf Studies, University of Exeter *'This unique, timely volume represents the single best overview of the modern histories and contemporary challenges facing the six nations of the Gulf Cooperation Council. The authors provide nuanced accounts of post-oil economy diversification, shared security concerns, and religious tensions facing the Gulf, and how the "Arab spring" may eventually lead to political reform.' * Marcia C. Inhorn, Professor of Anthropology and International Affairs, Yale University *'Lay aside any reservations about edited works. Power and Politics in the Persian Gulf Monarchies provides a coherent, concise and remarkably up to date account of how the six states of the Gulf Cooperation Council got to where they are now and of the challenges facing them.' * Sir Harold Walker, former Ambassador to Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Iraq *'This is the best book available on the Gulf Cooperation Council countries. Concise, well written, yet rich in detail and informed by relevant theorising, it covers the history, politics, personalities, and economies of these monarchies now challenged by the Arab Spring. Their futures, according to these authors, are unlikely to be as rosy as their pasts.' * Robert Springborg, Department of National Security Affairs, Naval Postgraduate School *Table of ContentsContributors: Marc Valeri (Exeter University), Kristian Coates-Ulrichsen (London School of Economics), Steven Wright (Qatar University), David B. Roberts (add affiliation) and Jane Kinnimont (the Economist).

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Book SynopsisAbu Dhabi is a new economic superpower that will soon wield enormous influence across both developing and developed worlds. The principal emirate of the United Arab Emirates federation commands over 8 percent of global oil reserves, has nearly $1 trillion in sovereign wealth funds to invest and is busily implementing a thoughtful economic master plan. It has also pumped huge amounts of money into culture, sport and infrastructural development in an attempt to eclipse even its ubiquitous UAE partner-Dubai-as an international household name. Abu Dhabi will host the Formula One Championship decider in 2009, is opening the world's first Ferrari theme park, has a rapidly expanding airline and is setting up satellite branches of the Guggenheim and Louvre museums. Gulf expert Christopher Davidson's book charts the emirate's remarkable trajectory from its origins as an eighteenth-century sheikdom to its present position on the cusp of preeminence. Abu Dhabi's impressive socio-economic development, he offers a frank portrayal of a dynasty's dramatic survival, demonstrating the newfound resilience of a traditional monarchy in the twenty-first century and its efforts to create a system of 'tribal capitalism' that incorporates old political allegiances into modern engines of growth. Finally, he turns his attention to a number of problems that may surface to impede economic development and undermine political stability. These include an enfeebled civil society and invasive media censorship, a seemingly unsolvable labor nationalization paradox, an under performing education sector, and increasing federal unrest.Trade ReviewDavidson's book is a tour de force. His presentation of the ruling families and especially of the royal family is detailed, thorough and … accurate. The author introduces an understanding of family politics, which no one has done until now, to the discussion of who's who in the Emirates. … Altogether, no student, business person, firm or government entity should consider learning about Abu Dhabi and the UAE without reading this book and underlining its key passages. As is the case with all other works by Davidson, the narrative is excellent, the style is highly readable and the information by and large is priceless. -- International AffairsDavidson's new book on Abu Dhabi … is a timely and thoughtful contribution to the thus-far scanty literature on the emirate, discussing its 'dramatic trajectory' over the past two centuries. … As this highly enjoyable book demonstrates, with the world watching and its people asking questions, Abu Dhabi has everything to play for. -- Times Higher EducationDavidson's book is likely to see significant sales as academics, journalists, nervous investors or even curious ordinary citizens seek to understand the recent economic drama in the UAE. While all will find Davidson's text to be both engaging and useful, it is clear that this was not a hastily penned attempt to cash in on high public interest. Davidson's Abu Dhabi is instead a meticulously researched account of the emirate. … If Davidson's book is to be measured by its predictive power, it is perhaps already a success. Abu Dhabi's $10 billion bailout of Dubai last year was hailed as 'surprising' and 'unexpected,' yet Abu Dhabi shows it to be anything but that. -- Middle East PolicyA book well worth reading for those interested in Abu Dhabi and the Gulf states, their fascinating tribal history, the development of the modern petro-state, and the recent adjustment to a modern society. -- Middle East JournalDavidson's book gives those new to the political landscape of Abu Dhabi a much needed and detailed insight into the rise of what is now one of the wealthiest states in the world. ... His analysis applies to Abu Dhabi and also to the wider Gulf region. In this sense, not only is it recommended reading for interested historians and economists, but also for policy makers and members of the business community who are involved in this complex region. -- Arab Studies QuarterlyAs an introduction to the emirate, Davidson's book provides an excellent overview with a good balance of history and contemporary and future issues. Readers may also gain a greater understanding of the wider Gulf region. -- Middle East International

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Book SynopsisIberia is a special place of colliding myths over its Islamic past and the Christian reconquista, the Inquisition and massive expulsion of Muslims and Jews some five centuries ago. Long a land of emigrants and explorers, it has now become home to Europe's latest, rapidly growing Muslim communities. Al Andalus Rediscovered focuses on Iberia's new Muslims, including boatpeople, students, women and clerics, and how they are faring in a largely Roman Catholic region. Also featured are the Spanish and Portuguese officials, academics, NGOs and ordinary citizens who are trying to find better ways to integrate Muslims and other immigrants, despite domestic and European pressures for tougher counter-measures. Nor does Howe neglect the events of March 11, 2004, when Madrid was the site of the most devastating terrorist attack by Muslim extremists in Europe, or the stated ambition of Al Qaeda to recover Al Andalus for Islam. Her book seeks to answer the basic questions: whether an Iberian model of a humane immigration policy is possible in 'fortress' Europe and whether the partisans of the Andalusian spirit of tolerance and diversity can prevail at this time of economic hardship and heightened radicalism in both the Islamic World and the West.Trade ReviewA thorough and accessible primer on Islam and migration that will be of interest to a broad non-academic readership and of use to students and scholars new to topics such as Islam, migration, or Mediterranean Europe. -- H-Net Reviews in Humanities and Social SciencesA superb and remarkably comprehensive account of the recent transformation of Spain and Portugal into 'immigrant-receiving' countries - with a particular emphasis on Muslim immigrants. There is really nothing like it. ... This is the first book-length analysis of the contemporary resonance of Moorish Iberia in Spanish and Portuguese society, and the different responses of both countries to that historical legacy in the context of a new era of Muslim immigration. Howe is a skilled and remorseless reporter, who has clearly brought all her years of experience to bear in her research. The result is an authoritative, illuminating and indispensable guide to anyone concerned with Iberia, immigration in Europe and contemporary European-Muslim relations. -- Matthew Carr, author of Blood and Faith: The Purging of Muslim SpainAn important addition to contemporary studies of Portugal and Spain. The noted New York Times correspondent writes evocatively on an oddly neglected but increasingly vital, topic: roles of Muslims in Iberia in history and today, following recent migrations. The range of her sources is impressive: personal interviews with leaders, the media, diverse publications and the author's travels and observations of fifty years. This is the new 'culture history' at its best. -- Douglas L. Wheeler, Professor of History Emeritus, University of New Hampshire, and author of Republican Portugal and Historical Dictionary of PortugalMarvine Howe, within the context of her deep love for the land where Christians, Muslims and Jews once lived together in harmony, gives us a surprising look at today's Spain and Portugal, and their struggles to rebuild on historical foundations a multicultural society that fits the modern world. Her work is not nostalgia but 'rediscovery,' combining her own experiences with sound scholarship to address economic and social problems that are central to our age. -- Milton Viorst, author of Storm from the East: the Struggle Between the Arab World and the Christian WestUnlike most European countries, Spain and Portugal are enriched by architectural wonders built many centuries ago by an advanced Islamic civilisation, and an influx of Muslim immigrants has prompted a revival of interest, sometimes conflicted, in that distant past. Marvine Howe, a writer rooted in both Iberian and North African cultures, explores the connections, looking at Muslim integration and Islam's place in Europe from an entirely new perspective in this very timely book. -- Barbara Crossette, former New York Times foreign correspondent and author of So Close to Heaven: The Vanishing Buddhist Kingdoms of the HimalayasA quick and rewarding read about the presence of Islam in the Iberian Peninsula. The transformation of Spain as a home for immigrants from the other side of the Mediterranean is presented as a new episode in the common history of the two shores of the Mediterranean. Howe's work is an accomplished look at this story, from the time of Tariq bin Ziyad to the Alliance of Civilizations. An excellent guide to this long history of engagement. -- Miguel Hernando de Larramendi, Professor of Arab and Islamic Studies at the Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha'Iberia' -- Spain and Portugal -- is reliving an important moment in its history with the arrival of a new immigrant population. Descendants of those who were once driven from the peninsula, their presence causes many questions and debates: How can they live as Muslims in Europe? What is their relationship with their country of origin? And are they a threat? Marvine Howe's book demonstrates her extensive knowledge of the phenomenon. Intelligent analysis and a huge variety of sources make this a must-read title. -- Ana I. Planet, expert on Islam in contemporary Spain, Workshop on Mediterranean International Studies, Universidad Autonoma de MadridThe author ... presents a complete and up-to-date frieze of the reality of Iberian Islam, with its internal contradictions, detractors and supporters. -- Afkar/IdeasAl-Andalus Rediscovered is a powerful and effective intervention in the increasingly strident debate over the role of Islam in Contemporary Europe. Howe's book provides a positive antidote to the increasingly gloomy prognostications about the future of interfaith relations on that continent. -- Amy Remensnyder, Brown University, Journal of Levantine Studies

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Book SynopsisThis book provides readers with the essential context and background for a real understanding of modern Saudi Arabia. Yizraeli examines a rarely-studied topic: Saudi royal family decision-making in the process of building a modern state. She tracks in detail the internal deliberations in the formative years of development in the Kingdom, when priorities were defined. This unique strategy was first formulated by the royal family in a document known as the 'Ten Point Programme', which was delivered in a speech (Nov. 1962) by Crown Prince Faysal. In practice, this strategy placed severe limitations on potential social change and thwarted any reform of the political system that might have been expected had such development been carried out by more western-oriented countries. While Saudi Arabia today tries to mend past errors, particularly in its educational system, the fundamentals of the regime have remained as they were shaped during the formative decades of development. Whether Saudi Arabia will be able to modernise its society without social and religious upheaval still remains to be seen, but the course this modernisation takes will be determined by the events outlined in this book.Trade Review'The reasons Saudi Arabia became the authoritarian US client state we know today ... is the subject of Sarah Yizraeli's revelatory new study. Yizraeli has managed to penetrate Saudi society from afar in ways that have eluded journalists and scholars with more direct access. Although she is apparently barred from entering Saudi Arabia as an Israeli citizen, she has long had a following among specialists for her mastery of obscure Saudi and international source material. Significantly, she focuses not on the much-studied decades since 1979 but on the largely neglected preceding era. Intricate in its accumulation of detail and nuance, the story Yizraeli tells is nevertheless stark in its conclusions.' * New York Review of Books *'Yizraeli's tour de force deftly illustrates how the complex interplay between the royal family, Aramco, the US government, and the religious establishment directly affected the course of Saudi development. She gives the reader what amounts to an insider's view - though she is far from one. This is a shining example of what judicious scholarship can do.' - * Joshua Teitelbaum, Professor of Middle Eastern History, Bar-Ilan University, and author of Political Liberalization in the Persian Gulf *'a very useful examination of an important period in Saudi history ... Recommended.' * Choice *'Politics and Society in Saudi Arabia is a very detailed and accurate description of a time in Saudi Arabia's history that has shaped the country up until today. The book is a fascinating account of a key period in Saudia Arabia's history and is also relevant to understanding Saudi Arabia's role in current events in the Middle East... recommended for anyone interested in the politics of Saudi Arabia and the House of Sa'ud.' * Asian Affairs *

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Book SynopsisIn the inaugural issue of Critical Muslim: Ziauddin Sardar tries to understand the significance of what just happened in the Middle East, Robin Yassin-Kassab spends some quality time in Tahrir Square, Ashur Shamis dodges the bullets of Gaddafi's henchmen, Abdelwahab El-Affendi traces the roots of the uprisings, Anne Alexander tunes into the digital revolution, Fadia Faqir joins women protestors, Shadia Safwan asks how long could Assad last, Jamal Mahjoub contemplates futures of the Sudan, Jasmin Ramsey joins the activists in Tehran, and Jerry Ravetz ponders the significance of Ibn Khaldun to the Arab Spring. Also in this issue: Rachel Holmes visits the Palestinian Festival of Literature, S. Parvez Manzoor asks if Turkey is a good model for the Muslim world, Muhammad Idrees Ahmad is overwhelmed by leaks, Taus Makhacheva takes 'Affirmative Action', Aasia Nasir accuses Pakistan and Merryl Wyn Davies's 'last word' on Saudi women drivers. Plus a new short story from Bilal Tanweer and revolutionary poetry from Nizar Qabbani, Tawfiq Zayyad, Abul-Qasim al-Shabi, Ayat al-Qormezi and Naomi Foyle.

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Book SynopsisIn 1936, a coup d'etat brought the nationalist forces to power amid great public jubilation, only for the coup to fail when its leaders fell out among themselves. In 1941, the Iraqi army went to war with the British for violating the terms of the Anglo-Iraqi Treaty. The Iraqis lost the war, and as a result, had to endure British military occupation for the next five years. In 1946, political parties were allowed a certain degree of freedom, but the opportunity was thwarted as the regime failed to deliver on the democratic reforms promised. Further opportunities presented themselves, especially in 1948, when a massive uprising known as al-Wathba forced the cancellation of the Portsmouth Treaty. In 1952, the Iraqi intifada brought more pressure to bear on the regime to introduce the political reforms that the Iraqi people were clamouring for. On both these two occasions, the ruling regime failed yet again to implement free elections and parliamentary democracy. Perhaps the best opportunity of all was presented by the 1958 Revolution. This ended with the army retaining power and the political parties collapsing in disarray. The failure of the revolution and the brutal authoritarian rule that followed dashed the country's hopes for the democracy that it had so long struggled and sacrificed for, but which it has yet to achieve.Trade Review‘In this outstanding study, Foulath Hadid traces the origins of Iraq's indigenous democracy movement from the 1930s through the 1950s. Based on a total mastery of the Arabic sources and the author's personal acquaintance with key personalities in the Ahali and National Democratic Party, Iraq's Democratic Moment is both compelling and authoritative. It is the book that every Western official should have read before embarking on the 2003 invasion, and that everyone concerned for the future of Iraq should read today.’ -- Eugene Rogan, author of 'The Arabs: A History''Foulath Hadid's book is a major contribution to the history of Iraq. His account of the country's long struggle to throw off colonial rule and create a democratic state is destined to become a classic. Although Iraq's efforts were thwarted time and time again, this masterful account of the past, based on original sources, can serve as a blueprint for the 'democratic moment' which today's Arab revolutionaries dream of as they struggle to overturn the repressive regimes that have held them captive for so long.' -- Patrick Seale, author of ‘The Struggle for Arab Independence: Riad el-Solh and the Makes of the Modern Middle East’'This is the heart-breaking story of sustained attempts by Iraqis over several generations to create an independent civil society with social justice and freedom of expression -- before Ba'athism and ensuing occupation made these things a remote dream. It should be required reading for anyone interested in Middle East politics, especially in the wake of the Arab spring.' -- Rana Kabbani, writer and broadcaster, and author of ‘Imperial Fictions’‘An outstanding study in which Foulath Hadid traces the origins of Iraq’s indigenous democracy movement.’ -- The Muslim World Book Review

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Book SynopsisIn the issue of Critical Muslim: Ziauddin Sardar argues why Islamic reform is necessary, Bruce Lawrence sees Muslim cosmopolitanism as the future, Parvez Manzoor declares jihad on the idea of 'the political', Samia Rahman gets to the root of Muslim misogyny, Michael Muhammad Knight explains his taqwacore beliefs, Soha al-Jurf has problems with orthodoxy, Carool Kersten suggests that critical thinkers and reformers are often seen as heretics, and Ben Gidley on what keeps Muslims and Jews apart and what can bring them together. Also in this issue: Stuart Sim takes a sledgehammer to the 'profit motive', Andy Simons argues that Jazz is just as Muslim as it is American, Robin Yassin-Kabbab meets the new crop of Iraqi writers in Erbil, Said Adrus visits a Muslim cemetery in Woking, Ehsan Masood confesses he spent his youth reading the extremist writer Maryam Jameelah, Iftikar Malik dismisses pessimism about Pakistan, Hassan Mahamdallie explores what it means to be an American, Jerry Ravetz discovers the Arabic Maimonides, Vinay Lal assesses the legacy of Edward Said, and Merryl Wyn Davies takes a train to 9/11. Plus a brilliant new story from Aamer Hussein and four poems by the celebrated Mimi Khalvati.

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Book SynopsisFor over sixty years the state of Israel has proved adept at practising clandestine diplomacy - - about which little is known, as one might expect. These hitherto undisclosed episodes in Israel's diplomatic history are revealed for the first time by the contributors to this volume, who explore how relations based upon patronage and personal friendships, as well as ties born from kinship and realpolitik both informed the creation of the state and later defined Israel's relations with a host of actors, both state and non-state. The authors focus on the extent to which Israel's clandestine diplomacies have indeed been regarded as purely functional and sub- ordinate to a realist quest for security amid the perceived hostility of a predominantly Muslim-Arab world, or have in fact proved to be manifestations of a wider acceptance - political, social and cultural - of a Jewish sovereign state as an intrinsic part of the Middle East. They also discuss whether clandestine diplomacy has been more effective in securing Israeli objectives than reliance upon more formal diplomatic ties constrained by inter- national legal obligations and how this often complex and at times contradictory matrix of clandestine relationships continues to influence perceptions of Israel's foreign policy.Trade Review'In Israel's Clandestine Diplomacies an impressive set of authors shed light on hitherto dark parts of Israel's foreign policy over the years and offer new insights on more well-known periods. The result is a balanced volume that provides a fresh look at several vital chapters in Israel's history and conveys the rewards and risks of secret diplomacy in general.' * Daniel Byman, Professor in the School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University and author of A High Price: The Triumphs and Failures of Israeli Counterterrorism *'Jones and Petersen have assembled an accomplished volume of extraordinary research by leading experts, who raise the curtain on previously unknown chapters in Israel's diplomatic activities The essays in this volume provide insightful and timely analyses of this unacknowledged, yet vital, component of Israeli foreign policy.' * Uzi Rabi, Director of the Moshe Dayan Center for Middle Eastern Studies, Tel Aviv University *'This timely book presents a sweeping international history of twentieth century Israeli covert diplomacy in the Middle East, Africa and Europe. Superbly edited, leading scholars bring a range of disciplinary perspectives, grounded in deep contextual analysis of archives and in-depth interviews to provide a panoramic view of the breaches and continuities in Israel's clandestine international affairs. For students, scholars and Middle East watchers, this is essential reading.' * Michael Kerr, Professor of Conflict Studies and Director of Middle East and Mediterranean Studies, King's College London *

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Book SynopsisAlthough most Arab countries remain authoritarian, many have undergone a restructuring of state-society relations in which lower- and middle-class interest groups have lost ground while big business has benefited in terms of its integration into policy-making and the opening of economic sectors that used to be state-dominated. Arab businesses have also started taking on aspects of public ser- vice provision in health, media and education that used to be the domain of the state; they have also become increasingly active in philanthropy. The 'Arab Spring,' which is likely to lead to a more pluralistic political order, makes it all the more important to understand business interests in the Middle East, a segment of society that on the one hand has often been close to the ancien regime, but on the other will play a pivotal role in a future social contract. Among the topics addressed by the authors are the role of business in recent regime change; the political outlook of businessmen; the consequences of economic liberalisation on the composition of business elites in the Middle East; the role of the private sec- tor in orienting government policies; lobbying of government by business interests and the mechanisms by which governments seek to keep businesses dependent on them.Trade Review'This is a superb volume on a critically important topic that often does not receive the careful attention it deserves. The book is impressive in both breadth and depth as it offers incisive analyses on significant issues related to business politics across the Middle East, especially insofar as public and private sector reforms and the 2011 uprisings are concerned. With essays rich in empirical data and with robust analytical frameworks, this is a significant contribution to the literature on the political economy of the Middle East.' * Mehran Kamrava, Professor and Director of the Center for International and Regional Studies at the Georgetown University' School of Foreign Service in Qatar *'After years of apparent political stability, economic growth and liberal reform, the Middle East is in turmoil and many of the business groups that anchored this development have all but vanished from the political scene. For those who want to understand this dynamic - who are the business leaders, what has been their impact, and what are their prospects now? - this volume provides valuable insight.' * Lisa Anderson, President of The American University in Cairo *

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Book SynopsisLebanon is the prisoner of its geography and its history, a prize for invaders since ancient times, a small multi-denominational state still recovering from a bloody civil war in its search for political autonomy and stability. This book examines the country's recent past since 2005, when a mass movement agitated against Syrian dominance in the wake of the assassination of former prime minister Rafik Hariri. Also detailed are the role of Hezbollah and other political groups. The authors examine the changes that these events brought to Lebanon, be they lasting or ephemeral, and the challenges they represent for a state which, despite the resilience of its power-sharing system of government, remains hotly contested and unconsolidated. Sectarian tensions have escalated, predominantly between the Sunni and Shia communities, causing outbursts of street-based violence and paralysis in government. This two-bloc system has left Lebanon ungovernable, not simply due to deep-seated political differences, but because of the external linkages which ties the two blocs to their foreign patrons, namely the USA and Iran. As the Arab Spring develops, it also increases Hezbollah's significance to Iran as the embattled Assad regime struggles to quash the Syrian insurgency.Trade Review'Begins with concise and informative summary by the co-editor Michael Kerr ...overall there is a deft balance between scholarly discourse and the personal observation of an insider.' * Times Literary Supplement *'Clear-eyed and often shrewd analysis of the huge political and social changes in Lebanon wrought by the Hariri assassination in 2005. Indispensable even for those who think they know the country well.' * Roger Owen, A. J. Meyer Professor of Middle East History, Harvard University *'They say that if you think you understand Lebanon you haven't been studying it long enough. This book provides a shortcut. It is a must-read if you wish to understand today's reality in this complex, fascinating and ever-attractive country. From community power-sharing to corporate consociationalism, from the state of the army to the image-making around the late Rafiq Hariri, a wide range of topics are covered in great depth.' * Frances Guy, British Ambassador to Beirut, 2006 - 2011 *'This book presents astute critical readings of post-"Cedar Revolution" Lebanon. Its interdisciplinary analysis of contemporary Lebanese history and politics offers an excellent overview of the on-going struggle over powersharing, state security, economic revitalisation and the post-war recovery.' * Craig Larkin, University of Exeter *'Compiled and edited with care, this timely volume is essential for anyone wishing to understand the complex eddies of contemporary Lebanon, showcasing true regional expertise without ever abandoning objectivity or critical independence. As a work that explains the intricacies of Lebanese politics post-Hariri with clarity and precision, this cannot be surpassed.' * Clive Jones, Chair of Middle East Studies and International Politics, University of Leeds *

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Book SynopsisVladimir Putin has almost by stealth trans- formed himself into an historic Russian figure. His undeniable political dominance was reflected in his return to presidential control after the March 2012 elections, having placed an obedient President Dmitry Medvedev in a stop-gap presidency. Since 1999 Putin's growing power transposed itself in foreign affairs and nowhere did Russia's reemergence on the world stage have more impact than in the Middle East. Russia's new role and identity had its roots in the late Yeltsin era but Putin has subtly deflated the balloon of US power by cleverly manipulating developments in the Middle East including Iraq, Lebanon, the Palestinian- Israeli conflict, the Syrian revolution and other regional issues. Yet twenty years earlier Russia was a very different place, and as it took its first fragile steps in a world full of dangers, the Middle East was not a top priority. This book charts the remarkable conversion in Russian Middle East policy that developed after the turning point in 2005-2006, which mirrored Putin's turn to unbridled authoritarianism. It remains to be seen whether Putin's increasingly pugnacious Middle East policies can be reconciled with Russia's long term interests economically and strategically.Trade Review'It is impossible to understand the contemporary Middle East without understanding the interests and role of the Russian Federation. Nizameddin provides an innovative analysis of the foreign policies pursued under Putin's presidencies in this explosive region. If you read just one book on Russia and the Middle East, read this one.' * Peter J.S. Duncan, Senior Lecturer in Russian Politics and Society, School of Slavonic and East European Studies, University College London *'Talal Nizameddin has written a fascinating book on an important topic. This is a most useful guide to anyone trying to understand Putin's overall strategy in the Middle East as well as providing some answers to those of us wondering why Russia continues to support the Assad regime in Syria.' * Mike Bowker, Senior Lecturer in Politics at the University of East Anglia, UK, and author of Russia, America and the Islamic World *'Talal Nizameddin is a masterful guide to the complexities of Russian policy in the Middle East - a region crucial to Russia's comeback as a powerful actor on the world stage. In this seminal work, he manages the Herculean task of explaining how Putin consolidated a pragmatic and realistic policy by balancing Russian relations with a variety of different actors.' * Bente Scheller, Director, Heinrich-Boll-Stiftung, and author of The Wisdom of Syria's Waiting Game: Foreign Policy Under the Assads *

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