Download or read book The Struggle for Mastery in the Fertile Crescent written by Fouad Ajami and published by Hoover Institution Press. This book was released on 2014-07-01 with total page 53 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In this book, Fouad Ajami analyzes the struggle for influence along the Fertile Crescent—the stretch of land that runs from Iran's border with Iraq to the Mediterranean—among three of the regional powers who have stepped into the vacuum left by the West: Iran, Turkey, and Saudi Arabia. He explains that, of the three powers competing for influence, Saudi Arabia and Iran are in it for the long haul. Each of those powers has a sense of mission and constituencies that enable them to stick it out and pay the price for a sphere of influence. Each country's prospects for supremacy is detailed and Ajami asserts that Iran must ultimately be reckoned to be the strongest.

Download or read book America s War against Global Jihad written by William R. Nester and published by Lexington Books. This book was released on 2018-03-06 with total page 418 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book analyzes America’s crusade against Jihadism. It addresses the successes and failures of Washington’s counter-Jihadist strategy before and after September 11, and explores whether the United States should stay the course or cut its losses in Iraq, Afghanistan, and elsewhere.

Download or read book Old World Empires written by Ilhan Niaz and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2014-03-26 with total page 546 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book is a sweeping historical survey of the origins, development and nature of state power. It demonstrates that Eurasia is home to a dominant tradition of arbitrary rule mediated through military, civil and ecclesiastical servants and a marginal tradition of representative and responsible government through autonomous institutions. The former tradition finds expression in hierarchically organized and ideologically legitimated continental bureaucratic states while the latter manifests itself in the state of laws. In recent times, the marginal tradition has gained in popularity and has led to continental bureaucratic states attempting to introduce democratic and constitutional reforms. These attempts have rarely altered the actual manner in which power is exercised by the state and its elites given the deeper and historically rooted experience of arbitrary rule. Far from being remote, the arbitrary culture of power that emerged in many parts of the world continues to shape the fortunes of states. To ignore this culture of power and the historical circumstances that have shaped it comes at a high price, as indicated by the ongoing democratic recession and erosion of liberal norms within states that are democracies.

Download or read book Backdrop to Tragedy written by William Roe Polk and published by . This book was released on 1957 with total page 428 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book presents the struggles in Israel and the Palestine Crisis from three different authors: an American specialist in Middle Eastern affairs, a scholar of Hebrew Literature and Zionism, and a Palestinian Arab who was an economic analyst. The book addresses the emotional and psychological factors behind the tension in a hope to understand the problems in the Middle East in the mid 20th century.

Download or read book Empires of the Sand written by Efraim Karsh and published by Harvard University Press. This book was released on 2001-04-02 with total page 426 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Empires of the Sand offers a bold and comprehensive reinterpretation of the struggle for mastery in the Middle East during the long nineteenth century (1789-1923). This book denies primacy to Western imperialism in the restructuring of the region and attributes equal responsibility to regional powers. Rejecting the view of modern Middle Eastern history as an offshoot of global power politics, the authors argue that the main impetus for the developments of this momentous period came from the local actors. Ottoman and Western imperial powers alike are implicated in a delicate balancing act of manipulation and intrigue in which they sought to exploit regional and world affairs to their greatest advantage. Backed by a wealth of archival sources, the authors refute the standard belief that Europe was responsible for the destruction of the Ottoman Empire and the region's political unity. Instead, they show how the Hashemites played a decisive role in shaping present Middle Eastern boundaries and in hastening the collapse of Ottoman rule. Similarly, local states and regimes had few qualms about seeking support and protection from the infidel powers they had vilified whenever their interests so required. Karsh and Karsh see a pattern of pragmatic cooperation and conflict between the Middle East and the West during the past two centuries, rather than a clash of civilizations. Such a vision affords daringly new ways of viewing the Middle East's past as well as its volatile present.

Download or read book The Making of Eretz Israel in the Modern Era written by Yehoshua Ben-Arieh and published by Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG. This book was released on 2020-03-09 with total page 729 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Napoleon’s invasion of the Middle East marks the beginning of the modern era in the region. This book traces the developments that led to the making of a new and separate geographical-political entity in the Middle East known as Eretz Israel and the establishment of the State of Israel within its bounds. Thus, its time frame runs from Napoleon’s invasion of Eretz Israel / Palestine in 1799 to the establishment of Israel in 1948–1949. Eretz Israel as the formal name of a separate entity in the modern era first appeared in the early translations into Hebrew of the Balfour Declaration, while in the original document the country was referred to as “Palestine.” During the period of Ottoman rule the territory that would in time be called Eretz Israel / Palestine was not a separate political unit. Among Jews, use of “Eretz Israel” increased only after the beginning of Zionist aliyot. Had the Zionist movement not arisen, it is doubtful whether the development to which this study is devoted would have occurred. The motivating force behind that process is without doubt the Zionist element. That is why Jews are the major protagonists in this book.

Download or read book Arab Nationalism in the Twentieth Century written by Adeed Dawisha and published by Princeton University Press. This book was released on 2016-02-16 with total page 369 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Like a great dynasty that falls to ruin and is eventually remembered more for its faults than its feats, Arab nationalism is remembered mostly for its humiliating rout in the 1967 Six Day War, for inter-Arab divisions, and for words and actions distinguished by their meagerness. But people tend to forget the majesty that Arab nationalism once was. In this elegantly narrated and richly documented book, Adeed Dawisha brings this majesty to life through a sweeping historical account of its dramatic rise and fall. Dawisha argues that Arab nationalism--which, he says, was inspired by nineteenth-century German Romantic nationalism--really took root after World War I and not in the nineteenth century, as many believe, and that it blossomed only in the 1950s and 1960s under the charismatic leadership of Egypt's Gamal 'Abd al-Nasir. He traces the ideology's passage from the collapse of the Ottoman Empire through its triumphant ascendancy in the late 1950s with the unity of Egypt and Syria and with the nationalist revolution of Iraq, to the mortal blow it received in the 1967 Arab defeat by Israel, and its eventual eclipse. Dawisha criticizes the common failure to distinguish between the broader, cultural phenomenon of "Arabism" and the political, secular desire for a united Arab state that defined Arab nationalism. In recent decades competitive ideologies--not least, Islamic militancy--have inexorably supplanted the latter, he contends. Dawisha, who grew up in Iraq during the heyday of Arab nationalism, infuses his work with rare personal insight and extraordinary historical breadth. In addition to Western sources, he draws on an unprecedented wealth of Arab political memoirs and studies to tell the fascinating story of one of the most colorful and significant periods of the contemporary Arab world. In doing so, he also gives us the means to more fully understand trends in the region today. Complete with a hard-hitting new and expanded section that surveys recent nationalism and events in the Middle East, Arab Nationalism in the Twentieth Century tells the fascinating story of one of the most colorful and significant periods in twentieth-century Middle Eastern history.

Download or read book In Retreat written by Russell A. Berman and published by Hoover Institution Press. This book was released on 2014-05-01 with total page 55 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Explaining how the U.S. withdrawal from the Middle East could have long-term consequences as other forces come forward to fill the gap, Russell A. Berman details how the retreat began and how the reduction of the U.S. commitment has, in turn, set off a wave of repercussions. He analyzes what motivates such a retreat, how much it is a choice of the Obama administration, and how much it is rooted in U.S. cultural leanings that could outlast the administration. In Retreat warns not only about changing evaluations about this specific corner of the globe but also about predispositions to retreat from politics altogether, from the burden of leadership, and from the advocacy for democracy.

Download or read book Faith and Sword written by Alan G. Jamieson and published by Reaktion Books. This book was released on 2006-06-26 with total page 268 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Faith and Sword explores the long and bloody history of the Muslim-Christian conflict, and examines the causes of present-day tensions between Islamic nations and the secular West. This book examines the Christian-Muslim conflict through all its stages and shows how our current situation has emerged. Ranging from Morocco to Indonesia, and from Russia to Somalia, it sheds light on the complex political and religious dynamics that form the background to one of the most important conflicts of our time."--BOOK JACKET.

Download or read book The Weaver s Lost Art written by Charles Hill and published by Hoover Institution Press. This book was released on 2014-07-01 with total page 81 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Looking beneath the surface of strategy, policy, and daily operations, this book uses the analogy of weaving to review the United States' historical responsibility for maintaining international peace and security. Author Charles Hill shows why the United States must marshal all possible elements in the Middle East, and supporters from without, to defeat the enemies of order in the region—and why the U.S. must weave an actively engaged, omnidirectional involvement to support and interact with whatever faction, regime, sect, leader, or state that seeks to gain legitimacy as a good citizen in the established international system.

Download or read book Revolution and Aftermath written by Eric Edelman and published by Hoover Press. This book was released on 2018-07-01 with total page 168 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In Revolution and Aftermath: Forging a New Strategy toward Iran, Eric Edelman and Ray Takeyh examine one of the most underappreciated forces that has shaped modern US foreign policy: American-Iranian relations. They argue that America's flawed reading of Iran's domestic politics has hamstrung decades of US diplomacy, resulting in humiliations and setbacks ranging from the 1979–81 hostage crisis to Barack Obama's concession-laden nuclear weapons deal. What presidents and diplomats have repeatedly failed to grasp, they write, is that "the Islamic Republic is a revolutionary state whose entire identity is invested in its hostility toward the West." To illuminate a path forward for American-Iranian relations, the authors address some of the most persistent myths about Iran, its ruling elite, and its people. Finally, they highlight lessons leaders can learn from America's many missteps since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

Download or read book Israel and the Arab Turmoil written by Itamar Rabinovich and published by Hoover Institution Press. This book was released on 2014-05-01 with total page 49 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In this book, Itamar Rabinovich examines how Israel is facing a new and changing regional order in the Middle East, from the ramifications of the Arab Spring to a receding U.S. role and beyond. The author looks specifically at Israel's evolving relationships with Egypt, Syria, Lebanon, Turkey, and the Palestinians. He asserts that, although some new developments pose threats to Israel's national security and diplomatic position, Israel could take advantage of some of those changes to become a more active and a better-integrated player in the region's politics. For this to happen, he concludes, Israel should take advantage of the massive effort invested by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry to bring about an Israeli&–Palestinian final status agreement.

Download or read book Iraq after America written by Joel Rayburn and published by Hoover Institution Press. This book was released on 2014-08-01 with total page 322 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: More than a decade after the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq, most studies of the Iraq conflict focus on the twin questions of whether the United States should have entered Iraq in 2003 and whether it should have exited in 2011, but few have examined the new Iraqi state and society on its own merits. Iraq after America examines the government and the sectarian and secular factions that have emerged in Iraq since the U.S. invasion of 2003, presenting the interrelations among the various elements in the Iraqi political scene. The book traces the origins of key trends in recent Iraqi history to explain the political and social forces that produced them, particularly during the intense period of civil war between 2003 and 2009. Along the way, the author looks at some of the most significant players in the new Iraq, explaining how they have risen to prominence and what their aims are. The author identifies the three trends that dominate Iraq's post-U.S. political order: authoritarianism, sectarianism, and Islamist resistance, tracing their origins and showing how they have created a toxic political and social brew, preventing Iraq's political elite from resolving the fundamental roots of conflict that have wracked that country since 2003 and before. He concludes by examining some aspects of the U.S. legacy in Iraq, analyzing what it means for the United States and others that, after more than a decade of conflict, Iraq's communities—and its political class in particular—have not yet found a way to live together in peace.

Download or read book Crosswinds written by Fouad Ajami and published by Hoover Press. This book was released on 2020-09-15 with total page 189 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Fouad Ajami presents a firsthand look at the political culture in Saudi Arabia and its conduct and influence in foreign lands from the early 1990s to around 2010. From the influence of Islam in public life to Saudi rulers' attitudes toward the George W. Bush and Obama administrations, the author fills a significant gap in our understanding of that country.

Download or read book Reflections on the Revolution in Egypt written by Samuel Tadros and published by Hoover Press. This book was released on 2014-06-01 with total page 61 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Offering insights on Egypt's failed revolution—how it happened and why it did not succeed—author Samuel Tadros argues that, as Egypt continues on its destructive downward path, it is important to examine the role that its revolutionaries played in that trajectory. He raises long-unanswered questions about those revolutionaries: Who were they and where did they come from? What was their ideological and organizational composition? Why were they angry with the Mubarak regime? What were their demands and aspirations for a new Egypt? And how did they attempt to achieve them?

Download or read book The Consequences of Syria written by Lee Smith and published by Hoover Press. This book was released on 2014-06-01 with total page 49 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In The Consequences of Syria, Lee Smith analyzes the current U.S. administration's stance on Syria, questioning whether it will build the foundations of a new Middle East or usher in an era of instability that will affect the entire world. The author contends that the many apparent shifts in the administration's Syria policy were part of a messaging campaign intended to camouflage President Obama's determination to stay out of the Syrian conflict. Smith concludes that the next White House will have to deal with a region that contains more violence, betrayed allies, emboldened adversaries, and an Iran almost on the verge of a nuclear breakout that will further destabilize a vital strategic region.

Download or read book The Decline and Fall of the Ottoman Empire written by Alan Palmer and published by Barnes & Noble Publishing. This book was released on 1994 with total page 324 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Like England's Charles II, the Ottoman Empire took "an unconscionable time dying." Since the seventeenth century, observers had been predicting the collapse of this so-called Sick Man of Europe, yet it survived all its rivals. As late as 1910, the Ottoman Empire straddled three continents. Unlike the Romanovs, Habsburgs, or Hohenzollerns, the House of Osman, which had allied itself with the Kaiser, was still recognized as an imperial dynasty during the peace conference following World War I. "The Decline and Fall of the Ottoman Empire" offers a provocative view of the empire's decline, from the failure to take Vienna in 1683 to the abolition of the Sultanate by Mustafa Kemal (Ataturk) in 1922 during a revolutionary upsurge in Turkish national pride. The narrative contains instances of violent revolt and bloody reprisals, such as the massacres of Armenians in 1896, and other "ethnic episodes" in Crete and Macedonia. More generally, it emphasizes recurring problems: competition between religious and secular authority; the acceptance or rejection of Western ideas; and the strength or weakness of successive Sultans. The book also highlights the special challenges of the early twentieth century, when railways and oilfields gave new importance to Ottoman lands in the Middle East. Events of the past few years have placed the problems that faced the last Sultans back on the world agenda. The old empire's outposts in the Balkans and in Iraq are still considered trouble spots. Alan Palmer offers considerable insight into the historical roots of many contemporary problems: the Kurdish struggle for survival, the sad continuity of conflict in Lebanon, and the centuries-old Muslim presence in Sarajevo. He also recounts the Ottoman Empire's lingering interests in their oil-rich Libyan provinces. By exploring that legacy over the past three centuries, "The Decline and Fall of the Ottoman Empire" examines a past whose effect on the present may go a long way toward explaining the future. Praise for "The Decline and Fall of the Ottoman Empire" "Alan Palmer writes the sort of history that dons did before 'accessible' became an academic insult. It is cool, rational, scholarly, literate."--John Keegan "A scholarly, readable and balanced history."--"The Independent on Sunday" "A marvellously readable book based on massive research."--Robert Blake