The American invasion of Iraq has been a success - for the Kurds.  Kurdistan is an invisible nation, and the Kurds the largest ethnic group on Earth without a homeland, comprising some 25 million moderate Sunni Muslims living in the area around the borders of Turkey, Iran, Iraq, and Syria.  Through a history dating back to biblical times, they have endured persecution and betrayal, surviving only through stubborn compromise with greater powers. They have always desired their own state, and now, accidentally, the United States may have helped them take a huge step toward that goal.As Quil Lawrence relates in his fascinating and timely study of the Iraqi Kurds, while their ambition and determination grow apace, their future will be largely dependent on whether America values a budding... Less

The dramatic story of the Kurds and their quest to create a nation—essential reading for anyone who wants to understand how the turmoil in Iraq will play out. The American invasion of Iraq has been a success for one group: the Kurds. For centuries they have yearned for official statehood—and now, as one of the accidental outcomes of the invasion, the United States may have helped them take a big step toward that goal. Informed by his deep knowledge of the people and region, Quil Lawrence’s intimate and unflinching portrait of the Kurds and their heretofore quixotic quest offers a vital and original lens through which to contemplate the future of Iraq and the surrounding Middle East.

Genocide in the Middle East describes the genocide of the Armenians, Greeks, and Assyrians of the Ottoman Empire in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries; of the Kurds and other persons living under Saddam Hussein in northern Iraq in the late 1980s; and of the Dinka, Nuba, Fur, Masalit, and Zaghawa peoples of Sudan from the 1970s to the present. It situates these crimes in their historical context, as outgrowths of intolerant religious traditions, imperialism and the rise of the nation-state, Cold War insurgencies and counterinsurgenci es, and the global competition for resources and markets at the expense of indigenous peoples. This requires a more thorough investigation of the case law on genocide than has been attempted in the literature on genocide to date, including detailed... Less

This compelling study presents an original look at how 'the nation' is represented in the literature of the Middle East. It includes chapters on Egypt, Sudan, Lebanon, Iraq, Palestine and Israel, drawing on the expertise of literary scholars, historians, political scientists and cultural theorists.The book offers a synthesising contribution to knowledge, placing Arab literature within the context of emergent or conflicting nationalist projects in the area. Topics addressed include:• the roles of literature and interpretation in defining national identity• exile• conflicting nationalisms• conflict resolutionThe approaches taken by the authors range from textual and rhetorical analysis to historical accounts of the role of literature in contributing to national identity, and political... Less

Kurdish Politics in the Middle East analyzes political and social dimensions of Kurdish integration into the mainstream socio-political life in Iran, Iraq, and Turkey. Its central thesis is that ethnic conflict constitutes a major challenge to the contemporary nation-state system in the Middle East. Long vanquished is the illusion of the "melting pot," or the concept that assimilation is an inexorable process produced by "modernization" and the emergence of a relatively strong and centralized nation-state system in the region. Perhaps no single phenomenon highlights this thesis more than the historical Kurdish struggle for self- determination. This book's focus is on Kurdish politics and its relationship with broader regional and global developments that affect the Kurds. It does not... Less

Newly revised and updated to explain events that have occurred since the American occupation of Iraq, the second edition of The Modern Middle East: A History explores how the forces associated with global modernity have shaped the social, economic, cultural, and political life in the region over the course of the past 500 years. Beginning with the first glimmerings of the current international state and economic systems in the sixteenth century, this book examines the impact of imperial and imperialist legacies, the great nineteenth- century transformation, cultural continuities and upheavals, international diplomacy, economic booms and busts, the emergence of authoritarian regimes, and the current challenges to those regimes on everyday life in an area of vital concern to us... Less

Gertrude Bell was one of a select group of Western Arabists who helped create the modern Middle East. She was arguably the single most influential individual in Iraq when the British attempted in the aftermath of World War I to create a nation out of regions that had long been different provinces of the Ottoman Empire. She was called upon to produce this succinct but insightful volume as a guide for the military officers and civil servants who were attempting to create an Iraqi government.A long dispute over whether the volume was actually written by her is settled in Dr. Paul Rich's introduction. It not only was written by Bell, but the reader can see in what she choose to emphasize just what her own views on the course that the development of Iraq should take. Unfortunately Bell's... Less

The Kurds of Iraq have been making headlines for many decades: in the eighties and early nineties mostly as victims of brutal suppression, in the mid-nineties as victims of each other's heavy in-fighting, and since then mainly through their success in achieving a high degree of independence and prosperity within Iraq. The Kurds of Iraq os a book about the Iraqi Kurdistan Region, governed by the highly autonomous Kurdistan Regional Government. The IKR has a 200,000 strong army, its own borders and border patrols, and even its very own stamps. In stark contrast with its volatile past, the IKR, often referred to as 'The Other Iraq', enjoys a high degree of safety an a booming economy. While most books about the Kurds of Iraq focus solely on military, political and humanitarian issues, this... Less

Many scholars, in the U.S. and elsewhere, have decried the racism and "Orientalism" that characterizes much Western writing on the Middle East. Such writings conflate different peoples and nations, and movements within such peoples and nations, into unitary and malevolent hordes, uncivilized reservoirs of danger, while ignoring or downplaying analogous tendencies towards conformity or barbarism in other regions, including the West. Assyrians in particular suffer from Old Testament and pop culture references to their barbarity and cruelty, which ignore or downplay massacres or torture by the Judeans, Greeks, and Romans who are celebrated by history as ancestors of the West. This work, through its rich depictions of tribal and religious diversity within Mesopotamia, may help serve as a... Less

This timely two-sided map of Iraq and the Middle East features a wealth of geographic, political, natural resource, and cultural information.SIDE ONE: Political mapThe front of the map features an incredibly accurate, detailed map of political boundaries, cities and towns, major roadways, bodies of water, oil fields and pipelines, and other geographic features. Side One also includes city insets that show street plans and describe the history and cultures of Baghdad, Beirut, Damascus, and Jerusalem.SIDE TWO: Satellite map and country factsThe map's reverse side shows an eye-catching satellite view of the region, as well as fact boxes that show each country's flag, population, economy, oil reserves, military strength, and include a brief historical and cultural description of each country... Less

Chronicling the British military's invasion of Iraq in 1917, Eleanor Franklin Egan was an intrepid American journalist whose autobiographical account of her time spent amongst British officers describes the relationship between British and American forces in the Middle East during and just after World War I. Egan's account of military life and the actions taken by British officers to secure the British Empire's position in the Middle East is particularly striking, as readers begin to see the parallels between the early twentieth century British presence there and the current American presence in Iraq. This book should be read by all those interested in understanding the ways in which the modern Middle East has adapted as a result of invasion and imperialism. With a new critical... Less

The Contemporary Middle East provides an accessible introduction to the region’s most pressing concerns and enduring conflicts. It includes provocative contributions by an impressive array of leading scholars, journalists, and policy advisors, as well as major addresses by President Barack Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Contributors include notable academic authors Arthur Goldschmidt Jr., William Cleveland, Colbert Held, Shibley Telhami, David Lesch, David E. Long, Bernard Reich, Samih Farsoun, and Phebe Marr, complemented by selections from recent general-interest books by Mark Matthews, Zake Chehab, Farnaz Fassihi, Michael Axworthy, Ali Ansari, and Lee Harris, among many others. With twenty new chapters and a new integrative opening essay by honored scholar Arthur... Less

In the 1990 the Gulf War, the collapse of the Soviet Union, the Arab-Israeli peace process and the trend to market-driven economies impacted the regional political and economic order of the Arab world dramatically. How do these events affect the processes of Arab integration? Is the idea of an Arab political and economic comunity in the broadest sense no longer viable? What lessons can be learned from recent attempts toward the future of Arab unity? A team of respected political scientists, historians, and economists carefully assesses the state of regional integration and cooperation, and explains why integration in general has proven so elusive. From the unification of North and South Yemen, to the struggle for Mahgreb unity, and the experiences of the six-member Gulf Cooperation... Less

In Two Nations Under God, American missionary Tom Doyle presents reasons why the U.S. should show concern for Israel....

'Birds of the Middle East' is now the most field-ready and comprehensive guide to the fantastic birds of this region. This fully revised and updated second edition covers all species-- including vagrants--found in the Arabian Peninsula (including Socotra), Jordan, Lebanon, Israel, Syria, Iraq, Iran, Turkey, and Cyprus. It features 176 superb color plates depicting more than 800 species, as well as 820 color distribution maps that show the breeding range for almost every species. In this upgraded edition, m

As American policy makers ponder a strategy for withdrawal from Iraq, one of our preeminent diplomatic historians uncovers the largely hidden story of how the United States got into the Middle East in the first place. A breathtaking recovery of decisions taken, brazen motives, and backroom dealings, Three Kings is the first history of America's efforts to supplant the British Empire in the Middle East, during and following World War II. From F.D.R. to L.B.J., this is the story of America's scramble for political influence, oil concessions, and a new military presence based on airpower and generous American aid to shaky regimes in Saudi Arabia, Iran, Egypt, and Iraq. Marshaling new and revelatory evidence from the archives, Gardner deftly weaves together three decades of U.S. moves in... Less

The 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... Less

Drawing on central issues in social sciences, modernity, nationalism, conflict and rural development, this book offers a comprehensive reading of settlement and resettlement in Turkey, not only the village evacuations in Turkish Kurdistan in the 198s and 199s, but also previous settlement and resettlement policies.

This collection is the first comparative and interdisciplinary study of constitutional politics and constitution- making in the Middle East. The historical background and setting are fully explored in two substantial essays placing the contemporary experience in the contexts, respectively, of the ancient Middle Eastern legal and political tradition, and of the 19th- and 20th-century legal codification and political modernization. These are followed by a general analysis of the treatment of human rights in relation to Islam in Middle Eastern constitutions, as well as a comparative scrutiny of the process of constitution- making in Iran, Afghanistan, and Iraq, with reference to the available constitutional theories. Additional essays are country-by-country case studies of Turkey,... Less

This collection is the first comparative and interdisciplinary study of constitutional politics and constitution- making in the Middle East. The historical background and setting are fully explored in two substantial essays placing the contemporary experience in the contexts, respectively, of the ancient Middle Eastern legal and political tradition, and of the 19th- and 20th-century legal codification and political modernization. These are followed by a general analysis of the treatment of human rights in relation to Islam in Middle Eastern constitutions, as well as a comparative scrutiny of the process of constitution- making in Iran, Afghanistan, and Iraq, with reference to the available constitutional theories. Additional essays are country-by-country case studies of Turkey,... Less

This hugely successful, ground-breaking book is the first introductory textbook on the Modern Middle East to foreground the urban, rural, cultural and women’s histories of the region over its political and economic history. Ilan Pappé begins his narrative at the end of the First World War with the Ottoman heritage, and concludes at the present day with the political discourse of Islam. Providing full geographical coverage of the region, The Modern Middle East: opens with a carefully argued introduction which outlines the methodology used in the textbook provides a thematic and comparative approach to the region, helping students to see the peoples of the Middle East and the developments that affect their lives as part of a larger world includes insights gained from new... Less

This groundbreaking contribution to a more comprehensive view of the region in a post-September 11th world, is the first introductory textbook on the modern Middle East to focus on the urban, rural, cultural and women's histories of the region over its political and economic history. Distancing himself from more modernizationist approaches, the author is concerned with the ideological question of whom we investigate in the past rather than how we investigate the past. Ilan Pappé begins his narrative at the end of the First World War with the Ottoman heritage, and concludes at the end of the twentieth century with the political discourse of Islam. The Modern Middle East: includes a carefully argued introduction which discusses the methodology used in the textbook provides a... Less

The monumental, five-volume The Encyclopedia of Middle East Wars: The United States in the Persian Gulf, Afghanistan, and Iraq Conflicts is a must-have resource for anyone seeking to comprehend U.S. actions in this volatile region. Under the expert editorship of Spencer C. Tucker, the encyclopedia traces 20th- and 21st-century U.S. involvement in the Middle East and south-central Asia, concentrating on the last three decades. Beginning with the 1980-1988 Iran-Iraq War, it covers the 1979-1989 Soviet occupation of Afghanistan, the 1991 Persian Gulf War, allied punitive actions against Iraq during the 1990s, the Afghanistan War, the Iraq War, and the Global War on Terror. Many smaller military actions against Iran, Iraq, Libya, Afghanistan, and other regimes that have been involved in... Less

"Hume has written a ground-breaking study... his analysis is thoughtful and objective in the best tradiiton of the practitioner scholar." —Choice"... a ground-breaking book written by a rising star of the American diplomatic service who was himself intimately involved in the Beekman Place negotiations... Mr. Hume... guides the reader through the complex diplomacy that surrounded the Iraq-Iran war, showing how the great powers came to recognize that ending the conflict was in their interests." —Paul Lewis, New York Times Book Review"Cameron Hume shows how the problems and perils arising from the war served as timely grist to the mills of the Security Council at the UN... This is something that well deserves to be saved from oblivion." —The Economist"... well-informed... an ably written... Less