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Book SynopsisA riveting follow-up to Michael Bar-Zohar and Nissim Mishal’s account of the most memorable missions of the Mossad, No Mission Is Impossible sheds light on some of the most harrowing, nail-biting operations of the Israeli Special Forces.In No Mission Is Impossible, Michael Bar-Zohar and Nissim Mishal depict in electrifying detail major battles, raids in enemy territory, and the death- defying commando missions of the Israeli Special Forces. The stories are often of victories, but sometimes also of immense failures, and they run side by side with the accounts of the lives and accomplishments of some of Israel’s most prominent figures. Captivating and eye-opening, No Mission Is Impossible is essential reading for anyone interested in understanding how these crucial missions shaped Israel, and the world at large.

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Book SynopsisOn March 21, 1968, Yasir Arafat and his guerrillas made the fateful decision to break with conventional guerrilla tactics, choosing to stand and fight an Israeli attack on the al-Karama refugee camp in Jordan. They suffered terrible casualties, but they won a stunning symbolic victory that transformed Arafat into an Arab hero and allowed him to launch a worldwide campaign, one that would reshape Cold War diplomacy and revolutionary movements everywhere.In The Global Offensive, historian Paul Thomas Chamberlin offers new insights into the rise of the Palestine Liberation Organization in its full international context. After defeat in the 1967 war, the crushing of a guerrilla campaign on the West Bank, and the attack on al-Karama, Arafat and his fellow guerilla fighters opened a global offensive aimed at achieving national liberation for the Palestinian people. In doing so, they reinvented themselves as players on the world stage, combining controversial armed attacks, diplomacy, and radTrade ReviewThe Global Offensive makes a laudable contribution to the growing body of scholarship that places the developing world and transnational actors at the forefront of international politics, rather than treating them as peripheral, secondary actors or curiosities. * Jeffrey James Byrne, H-Diplo *By establishing connections between the PLO and other revolutionary nationalist groups that most historians have either previously ignored or failed to recognize, Chamberlin has written a true work of transnational history that includes discussion of the United States, Palestinians, Israel, Vietnam, China, Algeria, and South Africa. By establishing connections between the PLO and other revolutionary nationalist groups that most historians have either previously ignored or failed to recognize, Chamberlin has written a true work of transnational history that includes discussion of the United States, Palestinians, Israel, Vietnam, China, Algeria, and South Africa. * Craig Daigle, H-Diplo *Chamberlin's most innovative move is simply to insist that we view the PLO as part of a larger landscape of third-world revolutionaries and the global radical left, of which it viewed itself a part, and not merely as a subset of the Arab-Israeli struggle or the history of Arab nationalism and decolonization. * Bradley Simpson, H-Diplo *The Global Offensive would be quite valuable for undergraduate and graduate history courses on the Middle East, U.S. foreign policy, or twentieth-century global history. Students and teachers would undoubtedly benefit from the balance of narrative and argumentation buttressed by clearly written explanations of key players and events. Most importantly, the book offers an opportunity for teacher and students to engage in questions regarding the latter decades of the twentieth century as less of a coda for the post-World War II global order and more as a beginning point toward understanding the twenty-first century. * Teaching History *The Global Offensive is sophisticated in its treatment of complex issues, drawing on published and unpublished sources in Arabic and English. The book internationalizes the story of Arab-Israeli conflict in the Middle East, and it simultaneously localizes the story of globalization. Most of all, the book asks a big question: what were the alternatives to the patterns of insurgency and counterinsurgency that have characterized the Middle East for the last forty years?...The book will surely inform and inspire many new perspectives. * Jeremi Suri, American Historical Review *Using hitherto unexcavated material, at least in much of Western scholarship, Chamberlin provides an engaging, well-documented narrative of the PLO global offensive . It contributes to the growing scholarship that recognizes that the history of the Cold War in the Middle East, Latin America, Africa, and Asia is inseparable from the history of the states and the peoples that constitute those regions. Or, as Chamberlin puts it in reference to the PLO, the dynamics of its encounter [with the global stage] rejects the reality that the process of globalization was taking place not only from the top down, but also from the bottom up. * Dina Matar, Diplomatic History *Paul Chamberlin's The Global Offensive moves from the camps of the Palestinian refugees to the air conditioned offices of the White House, from the deliberations of the Vietnamese guerrillas to the calculations of Tel Aviv's political elite. Drawn from an array of archives, Chamberlin's narrative teaches us that international relations is not simply the whimsy of states but that it is constrained and enabled by the dreams and frustrations of ordinary people forced to be extraordinary because of their circumstances. A brilliant study of how the Palestinian liberation struggle moved from the valleys of the Levant onto the world stage. * Vijay Prashad, author of The Darker Nations: A People's History of the Third World *With balanced and comprehensive scholarship, Paul Chamberlin traces the rise of the Palestine Liberation Organization under Yasser Arafat, the widening gap of generations in both Israel and the Arab world, and the dilemmas of the U.S. government as Lebanon descended into civil war. The Global Offensive is a masterly account of the worldwide as well as the regional dimension of Arab-Israeli conflict in the critical decades of the 1960s and 1970s. * Wm. Roger Louis, University of Texas at Austin *Chamberlin is the first to frame the story of the Palestine Liberation Organization in a truly global context, and in so doing he sheds startling new light on his subject. He shows how the Palestinian struggle in the 1960s and 1970s was embedded in global revolutionary networks that stretched from Cuba to Vietnam, and argues convincingly for its centrality in the drama of Cold War decolonization and the transformation of international relations in this era. This book is not only a rare judicious intervention in the history of the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians; it is also a superb contribution to postwar international history writ large. * Erez Manela, author of The Wilsonian Moment *A major contribution to understanding US foreign policy since WWII, not only in the Middle East, but also in the context of the Cold War and national liberation movements. Summing Up: Highly recommended. * CHOICE *Paul Chamberlin's history of the relationship between the United States and the Palestinian Liberation Organization is a superb example of Cold War international and transnational history. Based on an extensive use of Arabic language sources, it documents dispassionately and with remarkable fairness the long history of efforts to form a Palestinian state. Must reading for anyone interested in how the modern Middle East came to be. * John Lewis Gaddis, Yale University *This extremely well-written book clearly reflects the extensive archival research that has gone into it. Chamberlin's narrative style is engaging and effective, and offers a great deal of information and insight into U.S. policy towards the PLO and, through this, the Arab-Israeli conflict and the wider region. For the reader, the access provided by the author to U.S. thinking is akin to the impact that Wikileaks has had more recently, giving this historical study an unexpectedly fresh and topical feel. I recommend it without any hesitation. * Yezid Sayigh, Carnegie Middle East Center *Table of ContentsAcknowledgments ; Introduction: Palestine Liberation and the Dawn of the Post-Cold War Era ; 1. The Struggle against Oppression Everywhere ; 2. The Storm ; 3. Nixon, Kissinger, and the Terror of a Post-Imperial World ; 4. The Jordanian Civil War ; 5. A Worldwide Interlocking Terrorist Network ; 6. "The Torch Has Been Passed From Vietnam To Us" ; 7. The Diplomatic Struggle ; Conclusion ; Notes ; Bibliography ; Index

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Book SynopsisIn this impressive synthesis, William Harris narrates the history of the sectarian communities of Mount Lebanon and its vicinity. He offers a fresh perspective on the antecedents of modern multi-communal Lebanon, tracing the consolidation of Lebanon''s Christian, Muslim, and Islamic derived sects from their origins between the sixth and eleventh centuries. The identities of Maronite Christians, Twelver Shia Muslims, and Druze, the mountain communities, developed alongside assertions of local chiefs under external powers from the Umayyads to the Ottomans. The chiefs began interacting in a common arena when Druze lord Fakhr al-Din Ma''n achieved domination of the mountain within the Ottoman imperial framework in the early seventeenth century. Harris knits together the subsequent interplay of the elite under the Sunni Muslim Shihab relatives of the Ma''ns after 1697 with demographic instability as Maronites overtook Shia as the largest community and expanded into Druze districts. By the 1840s many Maronites conceived the common arena as their patrimony. Maronite/Druze conflict ensued. Modern Lebanon arose out of European and Ottoman intervention in the 1860s to secure sectarian peace in a special province. In 1920, after the Ottoman collapse, France and the Maronites enlarged the province into the modern country, with a pluralism of communal minorities headed by Maronite Christians and Sunni Muslims. The book considers the flowering of this pluralism in the mid-twentieth century, and the strains of new demographic shifts and of social resentment in an open economy. External intrusions after the 1967 Arab-Israeli war rendered Lebanon''s contradictions unmanageable and the country fell apart. Harris contends that Lebanon has not found a new equilibrium and has not transcended its sects. In the early twenty-first century there is an uneasy duality: Shia have largely recovered the weight they possessed in the sixteenth century, but Christians, Sunnis, and Druze are two-thirds of the country. This book offers readers a clear understanding of how modern Lebanon acquired its precarious social intricacy and its singular political character.Trade ReviewWilliam Harris has written an expansive political and institutional history of Lebanon.....Offers a historical context and a set of arguments for considering the past and present of this complex, divided and vulnerable country....The book is well-sourced....The writing is clear and crisp [and] the reader never loses track of the narrative's thread....Harris's account offers much food for thought. * James A. Reilly, Middle East Media and Book Reviews *This book is a welcome addition to the historiography of the modern Middle East... [A]n impressive achievement....Harris seems as much at home in the medieval and early modern periods as he is in the more modern and contemporary period * Peter Sluglett, Middle East Journal *This book is a major contribution to the social history of modern Lebanon. * A. J. Abraham, Journal of Third World Studies *This book will provide scholars with a useful and overdue reference. * T.J. Gorton, Times Literary Supplement *One of the few recent works in English on the complete history of Lebanon in the Islamic period. Most books have strengths and shortcomings. Harris's study is almost completely free of the latter. An excellent volume. * Juan Romero, Middle Eastern Studies *The history of Lebanon remains culturally and religiously complex, and with this work, Lebanon: A History, William Harris presents the reader with both a blueprint and a roadmap. Wither well-written prose and clear evidence, the author enables readers to navigate and unlock the labyrinth of Lebanese history -its people and its culture. * Teaching History *Fifteen hundred years of history is a monumentally long and perilous journey that any historian, gifted and competent as he may be, would be foolhardy to undertake. Yet Harris promises and delivers history in the longue durée, in a gripping seamless narrative, bringing clarity, class, and depth to a story a rare few can tell without disorienting themselves and losing their readers along the way....A meticulous, ambitious, and compelling story of Lebanon. * Franck Salameh, The Levantine Review *William Harris, a recognized scholar of the Levant, provides a nuanced narrative of this often fractious nation. * Arab Studies Quarterly *This Herculean effort is the best book about Lebanon to come out in the past half decade. Intense at the beginning, where the author had to grapple with a scarcity of resources and the confusing jumble and black hole of ethnicities in the post-Roman collapse, the book is compact in the second half, which Lebanon became central to Roman attempts to penetrate and hold the Levant. The book is compelling, easily readable, digestible, and understandable. Essential. * CHOICE *A successful account that provides much of value for those interested not only on Lebanese history but also that of the Middle East. The limitations of Ottoman control and complexities of ethnic and confessional politics emerge clearly. * The Historical Association *A signal contribution to the study of Lebanon. William Harris savors that country and knows its ways. With this book, he steps forth as one of the very best historians of Lebanon. With no ax to grind, this is history in the finest tradition. * Fouad Ajami, Hoover Institution, Stanford University *William Harris discovered Lebanon in its darkest hours, and became an intimate. Few are better qualified to write an overview of Lebanese history, as he has done here in this excellent book, the outcome of decades of such intimacy. * Michael Young, author of The Ghosts of Martyrs Square: An Eyewitness Account of Lebanon's Life Struggle *Lebanon is defined by its religious diversity, its communities long predating the modern state. In this lucid and engaging new history, William Harris traces the evolution of the Christian, Muslim, and Druze communities of Mount Lebanon over fourteen centuries, the better to understand the dangerous sectarian democracy of modern Lebanon. A bold and authoritative analysis based on Arabic and European sources that will guide Western readers through the maze of Lebanese history and politics. * Eugene Rogan, The Middle East Centre, University of Oxford *Table of ContentsAcknowledgments ; A Note on Transliteration ; Glossary ; Timeline for Lebanon and its Communities ; Introduction ; Part One Foundations ; 1. Emerging Communities, 600-1291 ; 2. Druze Ascent, 1291-1633 ; 3. Mountain Lords, 1633-1842 ; Part Two Modern Lebanon ; 4. Emerging Lebanon, 1842-1942 ; 5. Independent Lebanon, 1943-1975 ; 6. Broken Lebanon, 1975-2011 ; Conclusion ; Abbreviations ; Notes ; Bibliography ; Index

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Book SynopsisBeyond the Arab Cold War brings the Yemen Civil War, 1962-68, to the forefront of modern Middle East History. During the 1960s, in the wake of a coup against Imam Muhammad al-Badr and the formation of the Yemen Arab Republic (YAR), Yemen was transformed into an arena of global conflict. Believing al-Badr to be dead, Egypt, the Soviet Union, and most countries recognized the YAR. But when al-Badr unexpectedly turned up alive, Saudi Arabia and Britain offered support to the deposed Imam, drawing Yemen into an internationally-sponsored civil war. Throughout six years of major conflict, Yemen sat at the crossroads of regional and international conflict as dozens of countries, international organizations, and individuals intervened in the local South Arabian civil war. Yemen was a showcase for a new era of UN and Red Cross peacekeeping, clandestine activity, Egyptian counterinsurgency, and one of the first largescale uses of poison gas since WWI. Events in Yemen were not dominated by a singTrade ReviewUntil the last two decades, much of the scholarship on Yemen has often been characterized by a tendency, whether intentional or not, to emphasize the isolation of the country, its history, and its politics from global processes of imperial expansion, state formation, and capital accumulation.It is refreshing then to read Asher Orkaby's account of the Yemeni Civil War of 1962-68, which proceeds with the assumption that the war must be understood in a broader context of international relations that can be reduced neither to Cold War rivalries nor to competition between Arab monarchies and their republican rivals. A well-researched study that pushes us to think more carefully about whether the Yemen Civil War, and possibly any civil war, can be considered solely within a national framework. * John M. Willis, International Journal of Middle East Studies *Orkaby's book represents an important contribution to both the philatelic and political history of this turbulent part of the world. * Charles Snee, Linn's Stamp News *In summary this is a high quality book of tremendous importance for the study of the auxiliain the early empire. The extensive bibliography of some thirty-seven pages is exhaustive and there are a limited number of typographical errors. The work is certain to become the new reference for any study on that topic. * François Gauthier, Bryn Mawr Classical Review *Through truly impressive multiarchival and multilingual research (in U.S., British, Canadian, Russian, Israeli, Yemeni, and Swiss collections), Orkaby illuminates several key aspects of the Yemeni conflict that were previously shrouded in official secrecy or historiographical neglect. * Yemeni Thicket, Diplomatic History *[P]rovides special significance and important relevance today, half a century later... Recommended. * CHOICE *Backed by solid research, Orkaby's narrative easily succeeds in taking readers beyond the Arab Cold War and into the machinations of a variety of international players. * Eric Watkins, International Affairs *Table of ContentsBeyond Paradigms: An Introduction to the Yemen Civil War Chapter 1: International Intrigue and the Origins of September 1962 Chapter 2: Recognizing the New Republic Chapter 3: Local Hostilities and International Diplomacy Chapter 4: The UN Yemen Observer Mission (UNYOM) Chapter 5: Nasser's Cage Chapter 6: Chemical Warfare in Yemen: The Limits of the Poison Gas Taboo Chapter 7: The Anglo-Egyptian Rivalry in Yemen Chapter 8: Yemen, Israel, and the Road to 1967 Chapter 9: The Impact of Individuals Chapter 10: The Siege of Sana'a and the End of the Yemen Civil War Epilogue: Echoes of a Civil War Notes Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisIn this study of everyday religious culture in early modern Syria and Palestine, James Grehan offers a social history that looks beyond conventional ways of thinking about religion in the Middle East. The most common narratives about the region introduce us to the separate traditions of Islam, Christianity, and Judaism, highlighting how each one has created its own distinctive traditions and communities. Twilight of the Saints offers a reinterpretation of religious and cultural history in a region which is today associated with division and violence. Exploring the religious habits of ordinary people, from the late seventeenth to the end of the nineteenth century, when the region was part of the Ottoman Empire, Grehan shows that members of different religious groups participated in a common, overarching religious culture that was still visible at the beginning of the twentieth century.Most evident in the countryside, though present everywhere, this religious mainstream thrived in a sociTrade ReviewDeeply engaging and delightful. * H-Net *Grehan provides new and important insights into religious faith and practice in Ottoman Syria and Palestine, but more broadly, his utilization of the concept of agrarian religion is a major contribution to understanding pre-modern religion. This book should be of help to anyone interested in the world history of religion. * John Voll, Professor Emeritus of Islamic History, Georgetown University *Too often, the religious attitudes of pre-modern societies such as those of Syria and Palestine during the seventeenth through nineteenth centuries are interpreted through the prism of modern conceptions of religion. In a long-overdue intervention, Grehan demonstrates that these views warp our understanding of their history, and project our modern conflicts over religion onto the past in misleading ways. It will be an essential reader for decades to come. * John Curry, author of The Transformation of Muslim Mystical Thought: The Rise of the Halveti Order 1350-1650 (2010) *Grehan's book is a pioneering study of folk religion in the Middle East on the eve of modernity. Looking for evidence 'on the ground' rather than in the texts of ulama or Islamic modernists, this richly documented historical ethnography of Syria and Palestine charts a world of saints and tombs, caves, and trees, genies and rites of blood which was shared by Muslims, Christians, and Jews of all walks of life. * Itzchak Weismann, author of Taste of Modernity: Sufism, Salafiyya and Arabism in Late Ottoman Damascus *Grehan provides an important corrective to earlier scholarly biases, such as describing folk customs in terms of their deviance from textual norms, and he recognizes that urban elites repeatedly joined in supposedly rural practices, whether venerating saints or appeasing ghosts. The author's careful appraisal of the evidence demonstrates that there is less of a gap between countryside and cityscape as much as there is a gulf between premodern and modern ways of enacting religion. A major benefit comes from how Grehan reads Muslim, Jewish, and Christian sources all together, emphasizing shared practices and common presumptions. * CHOICE *Table of ContentsIntroduction I. Religious Possibilities II. Magic Men III. A Religion of Tombs IV. Sacred Landscapes V. Haunted Landscapes VI. Blood and Prayer VII. Conclusion Appendix Notes Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisWhether on a national or a personal level, everyone has a complex relationship with their closest neighbors. Where are the borders? How much interaction should there be? How are conflicts solved? Ancient Israel was one of several small nations clustered in the eastern Mediterranean region between the large empires of Egypt and Mesopotamia in antiquity. Frequently mentioned in the Bible, these other small nations are seldom the focus of the narrative unless they interact with Israel. The ancient Israelites who produced the Hebrew Bible lived within a rich context of multiple neighbors, and this context profoundly shaped Israel. Indeed, it was through the influence of the neighboring people that Israel defined its own identity-in terms of geography, language, politics, religion, and culture.Ancient Israel''s Neighbors explores both the biblical portrayal of the neighboring groups directly surrounding Israel-the Canaanites, Philistines, Phoenicians, Edomites, Moabites, Ammonites, and Arameans-and examines what we can know about these groups through their own literature, archaeology, and other sources. Through its analysis of these surrounding groups, this book will demonstrate in a direct and accessible manner the extent to which ancient Israelite identity was forged both within and against the identities of its close neighbors. Animated by the latest and best research, yet written for students, this book will invite readers into journey of scholarly discovery to explore the world of Israel''s identity within its most immediate ancient Near Eastern context.Trade ReviewReaders of BAR will doubtlessly enjoy this engaging, accessible, andaffordable introduction to ancient Israels closest neighbors. * Ann E. Killebrew, BIBLICAL ARCHAEOLOGY SOCIETY *I highly recommend Doak's book to students looking for an outline of ancient Israel from ancient Near Eastern texts and archaeology that takes into consideration its neighbors. * Ronaldo da Silva, Berrien Springs, Michigan , Andrews University Seminary Studies *This is a study that many lecturers will want to include in their recommended texts. * Lester L. Grabbe, Journal for the Study of the Old Testament *Table of ContentsList of Figures Chapter One: Israel's Neighbors and the Problem of the Past Chapter Two: The Canaanites Chapter Three: The Arameans Chapter Four: The Ammonites Chapter Five: The Moabites Chapter Six: The Edomites Chapter Seven: The Philistines Chapter Eight: The Phoenicians Conclusion Sources and Research Tools

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Book SynopsisThe period covered in this book saw Saudi Arabia emerge as the state we know today. With British backing, the Saudi state expanded from its Najdi origins eastweard, westward, northward and southward, embracing at the end of the period, the greater part of the Arabian peninsula. Kostiner focuses in particular on the development of the political role of the chieftaincy into a more centralized political structure. Ibn Saud emerged as the most prominent of the tribal leaders, shrewdly exploiting the revolts of religious zealots to gain supremacy over his rivals. Drawing on an impressive range of materials, The Making of Saudi Arabia is the most complete study of the creation of the Saudi state to date.Trade ReviewWhile analyzing the politics of Arabia, Kostiner demonstrates considerable skill as a political scientist...the publishers deserve credit for an excellent production...commendable piece of research. * Muslim World Book Review Vol 16 no 1 *A critical assessment of the `personality cult' approach and an evaluation of its underlying assumptions are outstanding projects for a future generation of researchers and scholars of the country. Kostiner's book is a most welcome and revealing attempt in this direction...Kostiner's welcome attempt to marry history and anthropology leads him to see clearly some continuities in the history of the Arabian Peninsula as far as political development is concerned. * Middle Eastern Studies Vol 31 no 3 *Kostiner's welcome attempt to marry history and anthropology leads him to see clearly some continuities in the history of the Arabian Peninsula as far as political development is concerned. * Middle Eastern Studies *Joseph Kostiner's book is an important contribution to our understanding of the early decades of the new Saudi kingdom ... its present character and some of its problems * Mordechai Abir, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, The British Journal of Middle Eastern Studies, Volume 22, Numbers 1 & 2 (1995) *

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Book SynopsisAt the start of the twentieth century, British intelligence agents began to venture in increasing numbers to the Arab lands of the Ottoman Empire, drawn by the twin objectives of securing the route to India and finding adventure and spiritualism in an antique land. But these competing objectives created a dilemma: how were they to discreetly and patriotically gather facts in a region they were drawn to for its legendary inscrutability and promise of fame and escape from Britain? Spies in Arabia tracks the intelligence community''s tactical grappling with this dilemma and its myriad cultural, institutional, and political consequences during and after the Great War. Arguing that violence and culture were more closely allied in imperial rule than has been recognized, it tells the story of an imperial state dependent on equivocal agents groping through a fog of cultural notions and an interfering mass democracy towards a new style of covert empire centered on a brutal aerial surveillance Trade Reviewa significant addition to the historiography of the First World War beyond Europe... [An] impressive study... * Nadia Atia, History Workshop Journal *[An] impressive work which ambitiously seeks to explore the cultural space within which political, military and intelligence personnel operated. * Keith Jeffery, Asian Affairs. *This book is nuanced, challenging, nicely written, interesting and thought-provoking... rich and rewarding... It is a book that is sure to be well received and it will further our understanding of Britain and the Middle East. * Matthew Hughes, History *Table of ContentsPART I: WAR AND HOPE; PART II: PEACE AND TERROR

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Book SynopsisThe Tigris and Euphrates rivers run through the heart of the Middle East and merge in the area of Mesopotamia known as the cradle of civilization. In their long and volatile political history, the sixteenth century ushered in a rare era of stability and integration. A series of military campaigns between the Mediterranean Sea and the Persian Gulf brought the entirety of their flow under the institutional control of the Ottoman Empire, then at the peak of its power and wealth. Rivers of the Sultan tells the history of the Tigris and Euphrates during the early modern period. Under the leadership of Sultan Süleyman I, the rivers became Ottoman from mountain to ocean, managed by a political elite that pledged allegiance to a single household, professed a common religion, spoke a lingua franca, and received orders from a central administration based in Istanbul. Faisal Husain details how Ottoman unification institutionalized cooperation among the rivers'' dominant users and improved the expTrade ReviewIn this superb study, Husain attributes the Ottoman success in capturing and controlling this vast region in part to the empire's ability to harness the waters of the Tigris and Euphrates and manage the ecology of the area.... To write on such a complex topic with authority and clarity, Husain performed extensive research...[and is] well versed in the intricacies of environmental science, including hydrology, botany, and the study of germs and diseases. He demonstrates that a proper understanding of how environmental conditions influenced historical change requires studying the interaction between humans, rivers, climate, and disease. The utility of his interdisciplinary approach is in full display....Husain is able to tackle long-term and large-scale questions even though he starts from a well-focused time and place. His excellent work opens paths and provides a model for other scholars. * Reşat Kasaba, Journal of Interdisciplinary History *An empirically rich and methodologically sophisticated study that makes high-stakes contributions to various historiographies...In certain cases, the strength of some of Husain's arguments come from his ability to situate Ottoman practices of environmental management within larger contexts that non- specialists can appreciate....Husain deserves much credit for being able to weave such a remarkably complex (and fascinating) story for a region of the Ottoman Empire whose history is notoriously difficult to examine on account of a dearth of archival sources, particularly in Iraq—one of the many unfortunate results of wars in recent decades....Written in lucid and accessible prose, Rivers of the Sultan also serves as a model for how to write the environmental history of rivers. * Isacar Bolaños, Journal of Indian Ocean World Studies *Faisal Husain redresses the silence on the first two centuries of Ottoman rule, the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, with this impressive study....Husain relates this fascinating tale of environmental control and ecological disaster in a clear and compelling style. His marshalling of diverse sources is impressive and convincing. Although this is ostensibly on the Ottoman administration of Iraq, its value transcends that region in providing key insights into how the empire managed its diverse and far-flung territories. It is also a cautionary tale for the present, arguing that the ecological future of climatically challenged regions requires, if not an overarching imperial control, then multinational cooperation. * Bruce Masters, American Historical Review *Husain is able to tackle long-term and large-scale questions even though he starts from a well-focused time and place. His excellent work opens paths and provides a model for other scholars. * Reşat Kasaba, Journal of Interdisciplinary History *Rivers of the Sultan... offers a fascinating glimpse into the political, social and economic histories of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. * Usman Butt, Middle East Monitor *Faisal Husain sets himself a truly formidable goal: to write an integrated history of the Ottoman Empire in the Tigris-Euphrates watershed. To succeed requires a polymath's grasp of hydrology, botany, irrigation, grazing, shipping, climate, fiscal affairs, and political structures. Against the odds, he triumphs and with a verve and elegance of exposition that makes this a model of interdisciplinary, environmental history. * James C. Scott, Yale University *Original and deeply researched, Rivers of the Sultan is both an important new history of Ottoman Iraq and a major contribution to Middle East environmental history. Combining ecological, social, and political perspectives, it offers vital insights into the nature and transformation of Ottoman rule. * Sam White, author of The Climate of Rebellion in the Early Modern Ottoman Empire *In this exemplary study, Faisal H. Husain analyzes the Ottoman Empire's management of the Tigris and Euphrates. Rivers of the Sultan reconstructs insightfully the ecological relations between the imperial center and its Eastern periphery and brings to life a lively history of various historical actors, from Ottoman governors, to cultivators of crops, to tribal confederations, who benefited from the rivers and their management. The book reminds us how the maintenance of law and order, the control of wealth, the politics of infrastructure, and the movements of grains and arms were deeply intertwined into the history of water itself. A fascinating exploration of irrigation, wetland exploitation as well as of natural disaster, famine and floods, this book changes the ways in which we evaluate Iraq's past and present. * Orit Bashkin, University of Chicago *Rivers of the Sultan is a significant contribution to defining intra-imperial relations by grounding the analysis in environmental studies. * Annie Greene, University of Chicago, USA, International Journal of Maritime History *Table of ContentsAcknowledgments Introduction Part I: The Amphibious State Chapter 1: Fortresses Chapter 2: Shipyards Part II: The Water Wide Web Chapter 3: Arable Lands Chapter 4: Grasslands Chapter 5: Wetlands Part III: The Rumblings of Nature Chapter 6: Havoc Chapter 7: After the Flood Conclusion Appendices Notes Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisIn this authoritative collection of essays Benny Morris examines and elucidates aspects of the Arab exodus from Palestine in 1948, focusing on Israeli decision-making and the causes of the mass exile.New to the paperback:Two chapters, `The New Historiography: Israel and its Past'' and `The Transfer of Al Majdal''s Remaining Arabs to Gaza, 1950'' have been expanded and an entirely new chapter, `Yosef Nahmani and the Arab Question in 1948'' has been added for this new paperback edition.Trade Reviewan excellent and highly recommendable work * Middle East Studies Association Bulletin *Benny Morris continues to enrich the field of knowledge encompassing Israel's violent origins ... Readers ... will welcome this additional opportunity to study authoritative and richly detailed analysis and description from the pen of the pre-eminent researcher in the field. * Political Studies *Table of ContentsPreface; The new historiography: Israel and its past; Mapai, Mapam and the Arab problem in 1948; The causes and character of the Arab exodus from Palestine: the Israel Defence Forces Intelligence Branch analysis of June 1948; Yosef Weitz and the transfer committees, 1948-9; Haifa's Arabs: displacement and concentration, July 1948; The harvest of 1948 and the creation of the Palestinian refugee problem; The case of Abu Ghosh and Beit Naqquba, Al Fureidis and Khirbet Jisr az Zarka in 1948 - or why four villages stayed; The initial absorption of the Palestinian refugees in the Arab host countries, 1948-9; The transfer of Al Majdal's remaining Arabs to Gaza, 1950

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Book SynopsisThis revised and updated paperback edition of a highly successful study looks at the development of Israeli-Arab relations during the formative years 1949 to 1956, focusing on Arab infiltration into Israel and Israeli retaliation. Palestinian refugee raiding and cross-border attacks by Egyptian-controlled irregulars and commandos were a core phenomenon during this period and one of the chief causes of Israel''s invasion of Sinai and the Gaza strip, the Israeli part of the Anglo-French-Israeli invasion of Egypt in 1956. Benny Morris probes the types of Arab infiltration and the attitude of Arab governments towards the phenomenon, and traces the evolution of Israel''s defensive and offensive responses. He analyses Israeli decision-making processes, including the emergence and ultimate failure of Foreign Minister Moshe Sharett''s dissident policy of moderation and describes in detail the history of the Arab infiltration, including the terrorist-guerrilla raids by state-organized Fedayeen Trade ReviewTimely ... an impressive work, scholarly, balanced and searching ... Morris lets the facts speak for themselves * The Observer *There can be nothing but praise for Dr Morris's latest book ... makes uncomfortable reading, but is nevertheless of fundamental importance for understanding the evolution of Israeli policy and the attitude of the major powers, particularly Britain and the United States * Jewish Chronicle *Morris analyses effectively the interplay between different Israeli decision-making authorities, military and civilian, local and central ... this book confirms and lends depth to the authoritative picture of the Arab exodus in Morris's previous work ... Morris's works provide the fullest, best documented, and most fair-minded examination of the subject yet published. They are likely to remain the standard works on the topic for the foreseeable future. * Mediterranean Historical Review *Table of Contents1. Israel, the Arab States, and the Palestinians after the 1948 War ; 2. Infiltration ; 3. Arab Attitudes and Policies Towards Infiltration, 1949-55 ; 4. The Costs of Infiltration ; 5. The Israeli Defensive Responses to Infiltration ; 6. The Beginning of the Retaliatory Policy ; 7. Raiding and Counter-Raiding, 1951-1953 ; 8. Qibya ; 9. Israel, the Arab States, and the Great Powers, 1952-1956 ; 10. Sharett's Year, 1954 ; 11. The Gaza Raid and After ; 12. Countdown to a War ; Afterword: The Sinai/Suez War and the End of the Gaza Fedayeen ; Conclusion ; Biographical Notes

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Book SynopsisIn dealing with a wide range of aspects of the life, activities, and customs of the Late Bronze Age Hittite world, this book complements the treatment of Hittite military and political history presented by the author in The Kingdom of the Hittites (OUP, 1998). It aims to convey to the reader a sense of what it was like to live amongst the people of the Hittite world, to participate in their celebrations, to share their crises, to meet them in the streets of the capital or in their homes, to experience the sights, sounds, and smells of a healing ritual, to attend an audience with the Great King, and to follow his progress in festival processions to the holy places of the Hittite land. Through quotations from the original sources and through the word pictures to which these give rise, the book aims at recreating, as far as is possible, the daily lives and experiences of a people who for a time became the supreme political and military power in the ancient Near East.Trade ReviewCombining lucidity with scholarly rigour and displaying an informed and thoughtful response to the topic, this well-written book will be of particular value to university students and ancient historians. It deserves also to find a place in the wider market. * Times Higher Education Supplement *Trevor Bryce is the most successful - and responsible - popularizer of Anatolian studies active today. An authority on the Luwians of the second millennium and Lycia of the first, he has already produced a highly readable history of the Hittites and has now presented us with a survey of Hittite culture. * Bryn Mawr Classical Review *Table of ContentsIntroduction ; Synopsis ; 1. King, Court, and Royal Officials ; 2. The People and the Law ; 3. The Scribe ; 4. The Farmer ; 5. The Merchant ; 6. The Warrior ; 7. Marriage ; 8. The Gods ; 9. The Curers of Diseases ; 10. Death, Burial, and the Afterlife ; 11. Festivals and Rituals ; 12. Myth ; 13. The Capital ; 14. Links across the Wine-Dark Sea

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Book SynopsisIn the 14th century BC the Hittites became the supreme political and military power in the Near East. How did they achieve their supremacy? How successful were they in maintaining it? What brought about their collapse and disappearance? This comprehensive history of the Hittite kingdom seeks to answer these questions. It takes account of important recent advances in Hittite scholarship, including some major archaeological discoveries made in the last few years. It also features numerous translations from the original texts, so that on many issues the ancient Hittites are given the opportunity to speak to the modern reader for themselves. The revised edition contains a substantial amount of new material, as well as numerous other revisions to the first edition.Trade Review...the standard treatment in English of the history of the Hittites...clear enough to be read with interest and profit by anyone interested in Ancient History but also written with the care and respect for varying opinions that any specialist might demand...I would urge all to read it...as a fine example of work from a specialist who can write in a clear and interesting way. * Noel Weeks Ancient History: Resources for Teachers *substantial and compehensive ... This is a serious work of scholarship and fundamental to study of the Hittites; its updating can only be welcomed. * Christopher Burnand and Katherine Clarke, Greece and Rome *the standard comprehensive description of Hittite political history in English...provides a well-informed and very balanced picture of current research...highly readable * Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies, Volume 70/1 *...an indispensable handbook for Hittite history...this reviewer heartily recommends the revised edition of the Kingdom of the Hittites. By incorporating and discussing a vast corpus of new material, Bryce has provided the field with a useful and up-to-date tool, while the book has lost none of its original quality and it still reads like a captivating novel. * Bibliotheca Orientalis *Table of ContentsIntroduction ; 1. The Origins of the Hittites ; 2. Anatolia in the Assyrian Colony Period ; 3. Territories and Early Rivals of Hatti ; 4. The Foundations of the Kingdom: The Reigns of Labarna and Hattusili I ; 5. The Struggles for the Royal Succession: From Mursili I to Muwattalli I ; 6. A New Era Begins: From Tudhaliya I/II to Tudhaliya III ; 7. The Supremacy of Hatti: The Reign of Suppiluliuma I ; 8. A Young King Proves his Worth: The Reign of Mursili II ; 9. The Showdown with Egypt: The Reign of Muwattalli II ; 10. The Ill-Fated Reign of the Second-Rank Son: The Reign of Urhi-Teshub ; 11. Hatti and the World of International Diplomacy: The Reign of Hattusili III ; 12. New Enterprises, New Threats: The Reign of Tudhaliya IV ; 13. The Fall of the Kingdom and its Aftermath ; 14. The Trojan War: Myth or Reality? ; A Final Comment

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Book SynopsisPostwar Beirut conjures up contradictory images of remarkable openness and inconceivable violence, of great antiquity and a bright future. The Lebanese capital stands for Arab cosmopolitanism and cultural effervescence but also for its tragedies of destruction. This book examines the historical formation of Beirut as a multiply contested Mediterranean city.Fin de Siècle Beirut is a landmark contribution to the growing literature in Ottoman studies, in Arab cultural history and on Mediterranean cities. Combining urban theory, particularly Henri Lefebvre''s work on cities and capitalism, with postcolonial methodology, the central thesis of this book is that modern Beirut is the outcome of persistent social and intellectual struggles over the production of space. The city of Beirut was at once the product, the object, and the project of imperial and urban politics of difference: overlapping European, Ottoman, and municipal civilising missions competed in the political fields of administraTrade ReviewThis is a fundamental work, based on research in Archives in Istanbul, Paris and Kew as well as extensive readings of newspapers, books and unpublished theses. * Philip Mansel, Times Literary Supplement *Table of ContentsPART I: CAPITALIZATIONS; PART II: MEDIATIONS; PART III: URBAN WORDS - URBAN WORLDS

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Book SynopsisMohammad Reza Pahlavi, the last shah of Iran, is often remembered as a pliant instrument of American power during the Cold War. In this book Roham Alvandi offers a revisionist account of the shah''s relationship with the United States by examining the partnership he forged with Richard Nixon and Henry Kissinger in the 1970s. Based on extensive research in the British and U.S. archives, as well as a wealth of Persian-language diaries, memoirs and oral histories, this study restores agency to the shah as an autonomous international actor and suggests that Iran evolved from a client to a partner of the United States under the Nixon Doctrine. Nixon, Kissinger, and the Shah offers a detailed account of three key historical episodes in the Nixon-Kissinger-Pahlavi partnership that shaped the global Cold War far beyond Iran''s borders. First, the book examines the emergence of Iranian primacy in the Persian Gulf as the Nixon administration looked to the shah to fill the vacuum created by the BTrade ReviewRoham Alvandi's Nixon, Kissinger, and the Shah does exactly what it promises in its title. The book is an excellent insight into the interactions between the three aforementioned figures in what was a pivotal period of US, Iranian, and Cold War history. Alvandi's skill is writing in such a way as to appeal to the specialist and non-specialist alike. He weaves through a deep history, placing his triumvirate of characters in context without getting bogged down in unnecessary detail, and delivers a highly readable and effective study. * Stephen McGlinchey, E-International Relations *lively, clear and entertaining writing. This is indeed a useful, highly recommendable book that may attract specialists in international relations, Iranian affairs and US political history, as well as the general reader. * David Sarias Rodriguez, History *a major contribution to recent scholarship on the global history of the Cold War ... Alvandi's account of the process and its consequences is the fullest and most revealing to date. * David S. Painter, American Historical Review *Alvandi's commendably clear style and approach serves to highlight and articulate an argument ... redefining the relationship between Iran and the United States away from the popular orthodoxy of the patron-client relationship ... Alvandi takes a refreshing look at a relationship that has long been considered both the high tide of USIran relations and the roots of its eventual collapse. * Ali M. Ansari, English Historical Review *Table of ContentsAcknowledgments ; Introduction ; 1. The United States and Iran in the Cold War ; 2. "Protect Me": The Nixon Doctrine in the Persian Gulf ; 3. Iran's Secret War with Iraq: The CIA and the Shah-Forsaken Kurds ; 4. A Ford, Not a Nixon: The United States and the Shah's Nuclear Dreams ; Conclusion ; Bibliography ; Index

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Book SynopsisThe Oxford Handbook of the History of Iran proceeds chronologically through the history of Iran, from ancient times to the present. This reliable and accessible collection of essays can serve as an introduction to the field of Iranian studies and a useful review for practicing scholars.Trade ReviewA well-known scholar of pre-Islamic Iran, Daryaee...has edited the best single volume on the history of the Iranian world...This volume...provides the most accessible study of Iranian history available. Whether one's aim is to learn about the cultural complexity of Iranian people or the changing nature of politics in one of the most pivotal countries in the Middle East, this handbook is an excellent point of departure. Highly recommended. * CHOICE *Table of ContentsContributors ; Maps ; Introduction, Touraj Daryaee ; 1. From Paleolithic Times to the Rise of the Achaemenid Empire, Kamyar Abdi ; 2. The Elamites, Daniel Potts ; 3. Avestan Culture, Prods Oktor Skjaervo ; 4. The Achaemenid Empire, Alireza Shapour Shahbazi ; 5. Iran at the time of Alexander the Great and the Seleucids, Evangelos Venetis ; 6. The Arsacids, Edward Dabrowa ; 7. The Sasanians, Touraj Daryaee ; 8. Iran in the Early Islamic History, Michael G. Morony ; 9. Medieval Iran, Neguin Yavari ; 10. The Mongols in Iran, George E. Lane ; 11. Timurid Iran, Ali Anooshahr ; 12. The Safavids in Iranian History (1501-1722), Kathryn Babayan ; 13. The Afghan Interlude and the Zand and Afshar Dynasties (1722-1795), Kamran S. Aghaie ; 14. The Qajars, Ettehadieh Nezam-Mafi ; 15. The Pahlavi Dynasty, Afshin Matin-Asgari ; 16. Iran after Revolution (1979-2009), Maziar Behrooz ; Ruling Dynasties of Iran ; Index

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Book SynopsisThe term ''Fertile Crescent'' is commonly used as shorthand for the group of territories extending around the Rivers Tigris and Euphrates. Here it is assumed to consist of Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq and Palestine. Much has been written on the history of these countries which were taken from the Ottoman empire after 1918 and became Mandates under the League of Nations. For the most part the histories of these countries have been handled either individually or as part of the history of Britain or France. In the first instance the emphasis has normally been on the development of nationalism and local resistance to alien control in a particular territory, leading to the modern successor state. In the second most studies have concentrated separately on how either France or Britain handled the great problems they inherited, seldom comparing their strategies. The aim of this book is to see the region as a whole and from both the European and indigenous points of view. The central argument iTrade ReviewReview from previous edition Fieldhouse's strength lies in his detailed and extensive knowledge of British imperial and general history. * Jan Zouplna, Quarterly Journal of African and Asian Studies, vol 74 *...the value of this work lies in its exceptional clarity and the succinctness of its synthesis, which make it ideal for students and the uninitiated. The slim, but judiciously chosen, select bibliography and the detailed index add to its usefulness. * Jennifer M. Dueck, French Studies *'As one would expect from Fieldhouse, the style is brisk and efficient, the writing lucid and the substance fair-minded. In a subject of daunting complexity, and on which much that is written has a polemical purpose, even well-informed readers will find its balance and clarity exceptionally useful. * John Darwin, TLS *Its comparative approach helps fill a huge gap in Middle East scholarship. * H-Soz-u-Kult *Table of ContentsPART I: BEFORE THE MANDATES 1900-1922 ; 1. The Decline of the Ottoman Empire in the Middle East and the 'Arab Awakening' before 1914 ; 2. War and the Partition of the Ottoman Empire 1914-1922 ; PART II: ALIEN RULE AND NATIONALIST REACTIONS 1918-1958 ; 3. Britain in Mesopotamia/Iraq 1918-1958 ; 4. Palestine: The Genesis of the Mandate ; 5. Palestine: The British Mandate 1918-1948 ; 6. Transjordan 1918-1956 ; 7. Syria and the French 1918-1946 ; 8. Lebanon and the French 1918-1946 ; PART III ; 9. Conclusions ; Select Bibliography ; Index

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Book SynopsisIn Between Empires Greg Fisher tackles the problem of pre-Islamic Arab identity by examining the relationship between the Roman Empire and the Empire of Sasanian Iran, and a selection of their Arab allies and neighbours, the Jafnids, Nasrids, and Hujrids. Fisher focuses on the last century before the emergence of Islam and stresses the importance of a Near East dominated by Rome and Iran for the formation of early concepts of Arab identity. In particular, he examines cultural and religious integration, political activities, and the role played by Arabic as factors in this process. He concludes that interface with the Roman Empire, in particular, played a key role in helping to lay the foundation for later concepts of Arab identity, and that the world of Late Antiquity is, as a result, of enduring interest in our understanding of what we now call the Middle East.Trade ReviewReview from previous edition I would heartily recommend this book for anyone interested in the affairs and status of the Arabs in the sixth century. For anybody interested in the history of the Arabs immediately prior to the Rise of Islam, it is vital reading * UNRV Website, Ian Hughes *Greg Fisher provides a fresh contribution to an historical problem of considerable interest, that of the identity, role, and place of the Arabs in contact with the Roman and Sasanian empires before the advent of Islam ... the author offers readers a masterful synthesis ... This is a work of advanced scholarship for advanced scholars. * CHOICE *Between Empires provides a compact, cogent introduction to, and explanation of, Rome's relationship with its Arab clients. It should be in every serious research library. * Matthew P. Canepa, Sehepunkte *Fisher has made a valuable contribution to the various historical debates he has joined, not least through his surveys, with bibliographical references, of the current state of scholarship. * James Howard-Johnston, Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies *Table of ContentsBIBLIOGRAPHY ; INDEX

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Book SynopsisAt the dawn of the twentieth century, British intelligence agents began to venture in increasing numbers to the Arab lands of the Ottoman Empire, a region of crucial geopolitical importance spanning present-day Iraq, Jordan, Syria, and Saudi Arabia. They were drawn by the twin objectives of securing the land route to India and finding adventure and spiritualism in a mysterious and ancient land. But these competing desires created a dilemma: how were they to discreetly and patriotically gather facts in a region they were drawn to for its legendary inscrutability and by the promise of fame and escape from Britain? In this groundbreaking book, Priya Satia tracks the intelligence community''s tactical grappling with this problem and the myriad cultural, institutional, and political consequences of their methodological choices during and after the Great War. She tells the story of how an imperial state in thrall to the cultural notions of equivocal agents and beset by an equally captivated Trade Review[...] a significant edition to the historiography of the First World War beyond Europe... [An] impressive study... * Nadia Atia, History Workshop Journal, Spring 2011 *[An] impressive work which ambitiously seeks to explore the cultural space within which political, military and intelligence personnel operated. * Keith Jeffery, Asian Affairs. *This book is nuanced, challenging, nicely written, interesting and thought-provoking... rich and rewarding... It is a book that is sure to be well received and it will further our understanding of Britain and the Middle East. * Matthew Hughes, History *

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Book SynopsisLeading historian G.W. Bowersock provides a narrative account of a fascinating but overlooked chapter in pre-Islamic Arabian history -- the holy war between Christian Ethiopians and Jewish Arabs in the sixth century AD.Trade ReviewClosely argued on scarce evidence, [The Throne of Adulis] draws attention to the enduring geopolitical significance of this poorly understood region. Recommended. * CHOICE *Table of ContentsPreface ; Abbreviations ; List of Maps and Illustrations ; Maps ; I. The Throne ; II. A Christian Traveller in the Red Sea ; III. Ptolemy's Elephants ; IV. The Kingdom of Axum ; V. Christianity Comes to Axum ; VI. Judaism Comes to Himyar ; VII. The Ethiopian Invasion of 525 ; VIII. Entry of the Great Powers ; IX. Reckoning ; Appendix: Nonnosus ; Bibliography ; Index

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Book SynopsisTwo decades ago, the idea that a radical right could capture and drive Israeli politics seemed highly improbable. While it was a boisterous faction and received heavy media coverage, it constituted a fringe element. Yet by 2009, Israel''s radical right had not only entrenched itself in mainstream Israeli politics, it was dictating policy in a wide range of areas. The government has essentially caved to the settlers on the West Bank, and restrictions on non-Jews in Israel have increased in the past few years. Members of the radical right have assumed prominent positions in Israel''s elite security forces. The possibility of a two state solution seems more remote than ever, and the emergence of ethnonationalist politician Avigdor Lieberman suggests that its power is increasing. Quite simply, if we want to understand the seemingly intractable situation in Israel today, we need a comprehensive account of the radical right. In The Triumph of Israel''s Radical Right, acclaimed scholar Ami PeTrade ReviewThe Triumph of Israel's Radical Right is a bold and personable book that establishes Ami Pedahzur as the late Ehud Sprinzak's successor as the premier scholar of political extremism in Israel. * Cas Mudde, University of Georgia, author of Populist Radical Right Parties in Europe *Table of ContentsINTRODUCTION ; CHAPTER 1 - THE ANTECEDENTS OF ISRAEL'S CONTEMPORARY RADICAL RIGHT ; CHAPTER 2 - THE OLD RADICAL RIGHT ; CHAPTER 3 - THE NEW RADICAL RIGHT ; CHAPTER 4 - ISRAEL'S RADICAL RIGHT NETWORK (1987-1992) ; CHAPTER 5 - ISRAEL'S PATH TO PEACE? (1992-1995) ; CHAPTER 6 - A TIME FOR HATE (1996-1999) ; CHAPTER 7 - THE DEMISE OF THE PEACE PROCESS (2000-2003) ; CHAPTER 8: THE RADICAL RIGHT AT A CROSSROADS (2004-2009)

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Book SynopsisCan non-Muslims be saved? And can those who are damned to hell ever be redeemed? Mohammad Hassan Khalil examines the writings of influential medieval and modern Muslim scholars on the controversial question of non-Muslim salvation. Islam and the Fate of Others is an illuminating study of four of the most prominent figures in the history of Islam: al-Ghazali, Ibn ''Arabi, Ibn Taymiyya, and Rashid Rida, as well as a wide variety of other writers, including Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyya, Mulla Sadra, Shah Wali Allah of Delhi, Muhammad ''Ali of Lahore, Sayyid Qutb, Yusuf al-Qaradawi, and Farid Esack. Khalil demonstrates that though these theologians tended to shun a purely pluralistic concept of salvation, most envisioned a Paradise populated with Muslims and non-Muslims alike, and many believed in a just and merciful God. Khalil reveals that these writers'' interpretations of the Qur''an and hadith corpus-from optimistic depictions of Judgment Day to notions of a temporal Hell and salvation for all-challenge widespread assumptions about Islamic scripture and thought.Trade ReviewKhalil's fine work is perhaps best understood as primarily a work which studies historical theology rather than a work of contemporary theology. Indeed, through sober and meticulous analysis and copious annotation, Khalil does a good job of hiding his own theological tendencies and views on Islamic soteriology. * Amir Dastmalchian, Journal of Shi'a Islamic Studies. *Khalil's volumes encourage us to perceive inter-religious dialogue on a deeper level than that of superficial do-gooders unable to understand the real difficulties of religious confrontation. * Marginalia *Table of ContentsAcknowledgments ; Conventions ; Introduction: Rethinking Our Assumptions ; Chapter 1: Damnation as the Exception-The Case of Ghazali ; Chapter 2: All Paths Lead to God-The Case of Ibn 'Arabi ; Chapter 3: The Redemption of Humanity-The Case of Ibn Taymiyya ; Chapter 4: The Modern Scene-Rashid Rida and Beyond ; Glossary ; Notes ; Bibliography

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Book SynopsisOver four thousand years ago ambassadors and merchants overcame all manner of obstacles in order to ally the kings of the ancient Near East together as self-proclaimed brothers. This book takes readers on a journey across time and space-from the 24th to the 14th century BCE, and through deserts and river valleys-to meet the colorful characters who first began to tie cultures together.Trade Reviewan attractive and accessible work. * Arthur Keaveney, Les Études Classiques *Table of ContentsCONTENTS; A WORD ABOUT CHRONOLOGY AND TRANSLATION; CAST OF CHARACTERS; TIME LINE; ACKNOWLEDGMENTS; INTRODUCTION; PART I: THE EARLY DYNASTIC PERIOD AND AKKADIAN EMPIRE, 1500-2000 BCE; PART II: THE OLD BABYLONIAN PERIOD, 2000-1595 BCE; PART III: A TIME OF CRISIS AND CHANGE, 1595-1400 BCE; PART IV: THE AMARNA AGE, 1400-1300 BCE; EPILOGUE; ABBREVIATIONS; NOTES; FURTHER READING; BIBLIOGRAPHY; INDEX

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Book SynopsisWilliam R. Polk provides an informative, readable history of a country which is moving quickly toward becoming the dominant power and culture of the Middle East. Polk describes a country and a history misunderstood by many in the West, while Iranians chafe under the yolk of their current leaders.Trade ReviewPraise for Understanding Iran: 'William Polk has written a superb and insightful historical account of Iran and the evolution of the Persian culture. This should be required reading not just for all those involved in Iranian policy making but for all those interested in understanding this critical nation and society.' - General Anthony C. Zinni USMC (Retired), co-author of Leading the Charge and The Battle for Peace 'A great scholar's brilliant appreciation of Iranian culture and history.' - Dr. Khodadad Farmanfarmaian, former Deputy Prime Minister of Iran 'Essential reading...a study of depth and clarity.' - Terrell Arnold, former chairman of the Department of International Studies at the U.S. National War College " 'This is an easy read with a very big payoff - a nuanced understanding of Iran as a complex society whose perceptions and politics are shaped by readily comprehensible history, religious traditions, and recent experience. Polk's writing is erudite but not academic; his prose is lucid and his policy experience shows. If you know someone in the United States government dealing with Iran or the Middle East, give that person this book; the prospects of American policy success vis-a-vis both could go up considerably.' - Ambassador Chas W. Freeman, Jr. (USFS, Ret.), former assistant secretary of defense for international security affairs 'The great value of Bill Polk's books is that they take a thoughtful, clear-eyed look at America's entanglement in the Middle East. Understanding Iran is the latest addition to the library of Polk's sharp, smart analysis of a region that America doesn't understand well enough. There are scoops in this book about how close the United States has come to war with the Islamic Republic. But more, there is a deep understanding of Iran, its history and its culture. He tells a story that anyone who cares about America and Iran should read.' - David Ignatius, columnnst for the Washington Post and author of The Increment 'Engrossing and penetrating. A beautifully written vision of the other which we desperately need.' - William H. McNeill, former president of the American Historical Association and chairman of the History Department of the University of Chicago. 'Understanding Iran fully lives up to the promise of its title, giving us a thorough yet lively survey of a society that is moving quickly toward becoming the dominant power in the region. He reminds us that as much as Iranians chafe under the yoke of their current leaders, they still have bitter memories of generations of British, Russian and American espionage, invasion and dominance. There are important lessons to be learned from the mistakes of the past, and Polk teases them out of Iran's long, rich history. In the process, he makes a strong case that it is not just now, but for decades to come that a true understanding of Iran will be essential.' - Former ambassador Robert V. Keeley, Five and Ten Press Praise for Understanding Iraq: 'A digestible history of this tortured land is something Americans sorely need...And Polk carefully constructs one.' - USA Today 'This book will be informative to two groups scarcely on speaking terms: the supporters of President Bush's invasion of Iraq and those implacably opposed to it...William Polk presents the reader with the full sweep of Iraq's history...He gives us a comprehensive tour.' - Washington Times 'Haunting...One of the clearest prescriptions for success in Iraq yet to emerge.' - Publishers WeeklyTable of ContentsAcknowledgements Foreword Becoming Iranian Being Iranian Shahs, Ulama and Western Powers From Political Revolution through Social Revolution to Violent Revolution The Revolutionary Regime The United States and Iran Today and Tomorrow

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a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.

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Book SynopsisThis text makes available transcriptions of 313 caly tablets preserved in the Yale Babylonian Collection. It affords access to the history of Mesopotamian civilization during its last phase as an independent political and cultural entity.

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Book SynopsisAn up-to-date edition of the only military history of Afghanistan, including the recent operations by American and Afghan forces fighting the Taliban insurgencyTrade ReviewHistoryWire.com, 5/18/09 "In an age in which events in the Middle East threaten increasingly to spin out of control, few books could be as timely as this history of Afghanistan." The Middle East, June 2009 "Illuminates the broad historical context into which our forces have been drawn...[A] carefully researched account."

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Book SynopsisWith over thirty years of experience writing about Saudi Arabia, Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter and former publisher of The Wall Street Journal Karen Elliott House has an unprecedented knowledge of life inside this shrouded kingdom. Through anecdotes, observation, analysis, and extensive interviews, she navigates the maze in which Saudi citizens find themselves trapped and reveals the sometimes contradictory nature of the nation that is simultaneously a final bulwark against revolution in the Middle East and a wellspring of Islamic terrorists. Saudi Arabia finds itself threatened by fissures and forces on all sides, and On Saudi Arabia explores in depth what this portends for the country’s future—and our own.

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Book SynopsisSince its first publication in 1970, this book has established itself as a popular, useful text in Bible colleges and seminaries. The usefulness of the book has been increased by the addition of a chapter on the Inter-testamental Period.Table of ContentsContents List of Maps Foreword Publisher's Foreword Abbreviations 1. Introduction Source Material Importance of Israel Israel's Strategic Location Geography of Palestine History Divisions 2. Patriarchal Background Historical Accuracy Significance of Abraham's Call Date of Abraham Abraham's Country Departure 3. Abraham The New Land Shechem, Bethel, Egypt, Bethel Rescue of Lot (Gen. 14) Destruction of Sodom (Gen. 18:1–19:38) Covenant Waiting the Promised Child (Gen. 16:1–18:15) Abimelech and the Philistines (Gen. 20–21) Near Sacrifice of Isaac (Gen. 22) Death and Burial of Sarah (Gen. 23) A Bride for Isaac (Gen. 24:1–25:11) Abraham, Man of Faith 4. Isaac, Jacob, Joseph Isaac (Gen. 25:9–26:35) Jacob (Gen. 28:1–36:43) Joseph (Gen. 37–50) 5. Sojourn and Exodus Chronology Duration of Egyptian Sojourn Date of the Exodus 6. Life in Egypt Four Periods of Egyptian Rule Egyptian Life Jacob's Descendants in Egypt Israel in Servitude (Exod. 1:8–22) Moses (Exod. 2:1–10) Moses' Choice (Exod. 2:11–25; Acts 7:23–29; Heb. 11:24–27) Moses' Return to Egypt (Exod. 3:1–4:31) The Contest With Pharaoh (Exod. 5:1–12:36) Departure From Egypt 7. Israel in the Wilderness Israel's Route of Travel To Mount Sinai (Exod. 15:22–18:27) Giving the Law (Exod. 19:3–24:18; 32:1–34:35) The Law The Tabernacle (Exod. 25–31; 35–40) The Number of People Sinai to Kadesh-barnea (Num. 10:11–17:13; 33:16–19) Thirty-seven Years and Six Months of Fruitless Wandering (Num. 15–19; 33:19–36) Kadesh-barnea to the Jordan (Num. 20–21; 33:37–48; Deut. 2:1–3:14) At the Jordan (Num. 22–27; 31–32; Deut. 31, 34) Deuteronomy 8. The Conquest The Land of Canaan Entrance to the Land (Josh. 2:1–5:12) Conquest of Central Palestine (Josh. 5:13–9:27) Conquest of the South and the North (Josh. 10–12) The Land Divided (Josh. 13–22) Institutions 9. The Judges Background Matters Failure to Occupy the Land Fully (Judg. 1:1–3:7) The Period of Mesopotamian Oppression (Judg. 3:8–11; 17–21) The Period of Moabite Oppression (Judg. 3:12–31) The Period of Canaanite Oppression (Judg. 4–5) The Period of Midianite Oppression (Judg. 6:1–10:5; Ruth 1–4) The Period of Ammonite Oppression (Judg. 10:6–12:15) The Period of Philistine Oppression (Judg. 13–16) Samuel 10. King Saul The Anointing of Saul (1 Sam. 9–12) The Rule of Saul The Rejection of Saul (1 Sam. 13–15) Saul and David (1 Sam. 16–20) Saul's Last Years (1 Sam. 22:6–19; 28:1–25; 31:1–13) David as Fugitive (1 Sam. 21–27; 29–30; 2 Sam. 1) 11. David David at Hebron (2 Sam. 1:1–5:5) David Establishes the Kingdom of Israel (2 Sam. 5:6–8:18; 10:1–19) David's Government Significant Deeds Last Years of David (2 Sam. 13–20; 1 Kings 1:1–2:11; 1 Chron. 22; 28–29) Israel's Greatest King 12. Solomon Established as King (1 Kings 2:12–46; 3:4–28; 2 Chron. 1:1–17) Solomon's Kingdom Foreign Relations Building Activity (1 Kings 5:1–9:9; 2 Chron. 2–7) Literary Age Spiritual Decline and Punishment (1 Kings 11; 2 Chron. 9:29–31) Solomon the King 13. The Northern Kingdom The Revolt (1 Kings 12:1–24; 2 Chron. 10) The Early Years (931–885; 1 Kings 12:25–16:20) The Dynasty of Omri (885–841; 1 Kings 16:23–22:53; 2 Kings 1–8) The Dynasty of Jehu (841–753; 2 Kings 9:11-10:36; 13; 14:16–29) The Decline of Israel (752-722; 2 Kings 15:13–17:41) Israel Under Assyrian Control Summary 14. The Kingdom of Judah A Period of Conflict With Israel (931–870; 1 Kings 14:21–15:24; 2 Chron. 10–16) A Period of Alliance With Israel (873–835; 1 Kings 22:41–50; 2 Kings 8:16–29; 11:1–16; 2 Chron. 17:1–23:15) Four God-approved Kings (835–731; 2 Kings 12–15; 2 Chron. 23:16–27:9) Years of Assyrian Dominance (743–640; 2 Kings 16–21; 2 Chron. 28–33) Babylon Becomes Dominant (640–586; 2 Kings 22–25; 2 Chron. 34–36) 15. Exile and Return Developments in Judah (2 Kings 25:22–26; Jer. 40–44) The Babylonian Period (605–539) Captive Judah The Persian Period The First Return to Judah (Ezra 1–6) The Second Return (Ezra 7–10) The Third Return (Neh. 1–13) Esther (Esth. 1–10) The Elephantine Colony 16. Be

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Book SynopsisJason Elliot lives in London. His is the author of An Unexpected Light: Travels in Afghanistan and Mirrors of the Unseen: Journeys in Iran.Trade Review'What raises the book to the level of a classic is its intensely personal meditation on the magic of unplanned adventure, of the pain and pleasure of pushing into the unknown. The whole book, like Elliot’s travels themselves, operated on this heightened level. * The Times *Jason Elliot is that rare traveller who surrenders himself to people and places and this tale is a many-layered reconstruction of his experience . . . I am sure this book will soon be among the classics of travel’ -- Doris Lessing‘An Unexpected Light is often unexpectedly funny and constantly perceptive, but it is also profound’ * New York Times *

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Book SynopsisA popular textbook on the history of Israel during Old Testament times, taking into account recent studies and archaeological discoveries.

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Book SynopsisThis new, encyclopaedic work meets a considerable need. The two volumes cover the history of the religion of Israel and Judah from the earliest recognizable beginnings to the Hellenistic period and constantly take into account not only the other religions of the ancient Near East but also Israelite social history.

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Book SynopsisOnce described as 'a golden tool for taking examinations at any level', this history has previously been available only in two separate volumes. Now they are published together, providing he student with one of the clearest accounts currently available.

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Book SynopsisBrisk, easy-to-read and never dull, the strengths of this history lie in a concern for all aspects of the history of Israel and Judah, political and economic factors, religious and theological interpretation, methodology, geography and topography.

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