The Eastern Question

The Eastern Question

Author: Ted Danforth

Publisher: Anekdota

Published: 2015-11

Total Pages: 264

ISBN-13: 9780692308400

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THE EASTERN QUESTION is a clever, politically neutral, graphic exploration of geopolitics from the days of Alexander the Great and the Persians to today's headlines. In the 19th century, the term the 'Eastern Question' referred to the problem posed by the impending dissolution of the Ottoman Empire, the fall of which in the second decade of the 20th engendered the modern 'muddle' of the Middle East in the 21st. In a larger sense the East has always been a question for the West, for the simple reason that's where the trouble comes from: Huns, Goths, Arabs, Mongols, Turks, Russians, Soviets--to now a less well-defined, 'non-linear,' and 'asymmetric' trouble. As the West declines relatively and the East rises, seemingly new questions are asked that are in fact old ones. The West's current issues with Ukraine, Crimea, ISIS, Israel, and Iran are present-day manifestations of geopolitical dynamics that have been active in the historical process from its beginning. In 108 elegant and whimsical maps and drawings, The Eastern Question looks at these dynamics through a geopolitical lens with a scope of three millennia. The drawings are historical political cartoons; the maps ground the reader in the geography of time and place. Painting with a broad brush, the author sketches in the story with short texts that explain the drawings as much as the drawings illustrate the texts. The Eastern Question portrays history as a drama with stock characters improvising their lines in a plot whose action has been determined by the dynamics of Desert & Sown, East & West, and Order & Fragmentation. The first half of the book is thematic, exploring these three dynamics. The second half focuses on one of the six characters, the Ottoman Empire -- of which the modern countries of the Middle East are mere fragments -- its rise, decline, and fall, which opened the Eastern Question--and the concurrent rise of the West to world domination, now being challenged by the rise of the East. With vast perspective and extensive view The Eastern Question seamlessly connects today's events to these unchanging geopolitical dynamics.


Quicksand

Quicksand

Author: Geoffrey Wawro

Publisher: Penguin

Published: 2010-04-01

Total Pages: 903

ISBN-13: 1101197684

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An unprecedented history of our involvement in the Middle East that traces our current quandaries there-in Iraq, Israel, Iran, Afghanistan, and elsewhere-back to their roots almost a century ago. Geoffrey Wawro approaches America's role in the Middle East in a fundamentally new way-by encompassing the last century of the entire region, rather than focusing narrowly on a particular country or era. The result is a definitive and revelatory history whose drama, tragedy, and rich irony he relates with unprecedented verve. Wawro combed archives in the United States and Europe and traveled the Middle East to unearth new insights into the hidden motivations, backroom dealing, and outright espionage that shaped some of the most tumultuous events of the last one hundred years. Wawro offers piercing analysis of iconic events from the birth of Israel to the death of Sadat, from the Suez crisis to the energy crisis, from the Six-Day War to Desert One, from Iran-contra to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and the rise of al- Qaeda. Throughout, he draws telling parallels between America's past mistakes and its current quandaries, proving that we're in today's muddle not just because of our old errors, but because we keep repeating those errors. America has juggled multiple commitments and conflicting priorities in the Middle East for nearly a century. Strands of idealism and ruthless practicality have alternated- and sometimes run together-in our policy. Quicksand untangles these strands as no history has done before by showing how our strategies unfolded over the entire century and across the entire region. We've persistently misread the intentions and motivations of every major player in the region because we've insisted on viewing them through the lens of our own culture, hopes, and fears. Most administrations since Eisenhower's have adopted their own "doctrine" for the Middle East, and almost every doctrine has failed precisely because it's a doctrine-a template into which events on the ground refuse to fit. Geoffrey Wawro's peerless and remarkably lively history is key to understanding our errors and the Middle East-at last- on its own terms.


Twentieth Century History For Dummies

Twentieth Century History For Dummies

Author: Seán Lang

Publisher: John Wiley & Sons

Published: 2011-02-23

Total Pages: 471

ISBN-13: 1119997933

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The 20th Century brought revolutionary changes to our world and our lives: the human population of the world tripled, space travel became reality, two world wars and a host of other conflicts were fought, and huge advances in science, technology and communication resulted in the globalised world we know today. Enormous steps were made in wiping out widespread discrimination, from the women’s suffrage movement leading to women’s right to vote in western countries, to the civil rights movement in the US challenging racial segregation. The political landscape has provided lots of excitement, with charismatic and scandalous presidents in the White House, the first female prime minister in the UK, dictators working to various manifestoes across the world, the Middle East conflict and the changing balance of political and economic “superpowers”. Technological advances have resulted in nigh on universal adoption and dependence on automobiles, computers, mobiles and other wireless technology. The exponential rate at which technology is evolving is one of the variables that make the twentieth century so fascinating. All this and much, much more happened in a mere one hundred years – where did we find the time to do so much?! Twentieth Century History For Dummies tells all...


The New Middle East

The New Middle East

Author: Paul Danahar

Publisher: A&C Black

Published: 2013-08-15

Total Pages: 526

ISBN-13: 1408840596

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In 2011 the Arab revolts changed the Middle East forever. The toppling of a generation of dictators left the region in turmoil. Has the promise of the Arab Spring been lost? What does the rise of religious extremism on Europe's doorstep mean for the West and its allies? Is America giving up on the region and, if so, who will lead the new Middle East? Drawing on compelling first-hand reporting, a deep knowledge of the region's history and access to many of the key players, BBC Bureau Chief Paul Danahar lays bare the forces that are shaping the region. Now completely revised and updated to include everything that has happened in the region since the book was first published.


Contemporary Politics in the Middle East

Contemporary Politics in the Middle East

Author: Beverley Milton-Edwards

Publisher: John Wiley & Sons

Published: 2018-01-16

Total Pages: 388

ISBN-13: 1509520864

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The fourth edition of this dynamic and popular text provides a comprehensive introduction to contemporary politics in the Middle East. Fully revised and updated throughout, it features a new chapter on the Arab Spring and its aftermath, plus a wide range of vibrant case studies, data, questions for class discussion and suggestions for further reading. Purposefully employing a clear thematic structure, the book begins by introducing key concepts and contentious debates before outlining the impact of colonialism, and the rise and relevance of Arab nationalism in the region. Major political issues affecting the Middle East are then explored in full. These include political economy, conflict, political Islam, gender, the regional democracy deficit, and ethnicity and minorities. The book also examines the role of key foreign actors, such as the USA, Russia and the EU, and concludes with an in-depth analysis of the Arab uprisings and their impact in an era of uncertainty.


The Middle East Road Map

The Middle East Road Map

Author: United States. Congress. Senate. Committee on Foreign Relations. Subcommittee on Near Eastern and South Asian Affairs

Publisher:

Published: 2004

Total Pages: 56

ISBN-13:

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The Middle East

The Middle East

Author: William B. Quandt

Publisher: Brookings Institution Press

Published: 2010-12-01

Total Pages: 534

ISBN-13: 0815720521

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Within the Middle East, the Camp David Accords are the subject of great debate. Many in the Arab world, and even some in Israel, regard them with hostility. Others, especially in the United States, see in the Camp David formula the only hope for successful resolution of the Arab-Israeli conflict and lavish praise on the accords. But the broad impact of the accords on the Middle East and on the prospects for peace has never been fully analyzed by Middle Eastern or American specialists. This new work, published to mark the tenth anniversary of the accords, offers the comprehensive assessment necessary to discuss the next steps in the Middle East peace process. Now more than ever Americans need to understand how the Camp David Accords affected the entire Middle East region—not just Egypt and Israel—to deal with the complexities of future peace efforts. The authors provide an analytical basis for understanding the intricate links among domestic political forces, regional politics, and superpower policies as elements in the Arab-Israel peace process. By examining the past, the authors also show how to clarify choices that may confront Israelis and Arabs as they continue to work toward a settlement of their longstanding dispute.