Looking at putting together my summer reading list and want to try to delve more deeply into the history of the Middle East region. Any good books you guys would recommend?
Between Al Queda, Isis, the European refugee crisis, terrorist bombings & shootings across the US, etc. it would be a very good thing to have a background of knowledge about the region for keeping up with current events.Quote:
Don't bother. It's a ****hole. It's a frustrating story of morons and hypocrites, all doing ****ty things in a ****hole.
jeffk said:
Have any of you read anything by Sebastian Junger? He made Restrepo (which I liked) and then followed it up with several books about the modern conflicts in the region.
Apache said:Between Al Queda, Isis, the European refugee crisis, terrorist bombings & shootings across the US, etc. it would be a very good thing to have a background of knowledge about the region for keeping up with current events.Quote:
Don't bother. It's a ****hole. It's a frustrating story of morons and hypocrites, all doing ****ty things in a ****hole.
In a more broad historical context, ME history goes way beyond Islam... the area is the cradle of human civilization (one of them anyway). Assyrians, Hittites, Jews, Minoans, Egyptians, Greeks, Macedonians, Romans, Persians, Mongols, Venetians, Crusaders, Turks, Brits, Russians, ANZACS, Americans... you get the picture. There are so many layers, all fascinating. You could spend your entire life researching the area.
Some other good reads:
Guests of the Ayatollah
Oil Kings
The Looming Tower
A Short History of the Byzantine Empire
Persian Fire
Quote:
While the Americans were fighting in Vietnam, a struggle of even greater strategic significance was taking place in the Middle East: the Sultanate of Oman guards the entrance to the Arabian Gulf, and thus controls the movement of oil from that region. In the 1960s and 70s, the Communists tried to seize this artery and, had they succeeded, the consequences for the West and for the Middle East would have been disastrous - and yet, few people have ever heard of this geo-political drama at the height of the Cold War.
In the Service of the Sultan tells, first-hand, the largely unknown story of a small number of British officers who led Muslim soldiers in this hard-fought anti-insurgency war which has shaped today's Gulf. After outlining the historical, geographical and political background, the book describes military action in a stark and mountainous environment, including operations with irregular forces and the SAS as well as action in the air and at sea. The book gives a gripping, moving, funny account of all these and paints a powerful and illuminating picture of the realities of war.
It will appeal to all who are interested in the Cold War and relationships between the Western and the Arab worlds. Politics, history, irregular warfare, religion, international affairs: all are ingredients in this absorbing, informative read. In the light of the current insurgencies in Iraq and Afghanistan, it is also timely to be reminded how a rare victory was won over Communist guerrillas.
aalan94 said:
Bernard Lewis is a pretty respected author. If you're looking for terrorism, there's a ton of good stuff.
This is why I just smirk when morons act like foreign policy toward the middle east nations is black and white.Quote:
It was very eye opening when I spent my time in Iraq. Interaction between Shia (contractor from Baghdad) and Sunni ( workers from Basra) was very strained. Iraqi's and Egyptians don't like each other. Iraqi's and Kuwaiti don't like each other. Iraqis hate Saudis. Iraqis and Syrians can get along. Iraqi's and Iranian's......as long as they are Shias they are good. Everyone hates the Israelis. and then you throw in the Kurds, the Turks and the Palestinians.
Now you have all the ISIS and AQI thing going on, which by the way....they hate each other.
It's too confusing.
We can thank the French and the Brits for all of this!Presley OBannons Sword said:This is why I just smirk when morons act like foreign policy toward the middle east nations is black and white.Quote:
It was very eye opening when I spent my time in Iraq. Interaction between Shia (contractor from Baghdad) and Sunni ( workers from Basra) was very strained. Iraqi's and Egyptians don't like each other. Iraqi's and Kuwaiti don't like each other. Iraqis hate Saudis. Iraqis and Syrians can get along. Iraqi's and Iranian's......as long as they are Shias they are good. Everyone hates the Israelis. and then you throw in the Kurds, the Turks and the Palestinians.
Now you have all the ISIS and AQI thing going on, which by the way....they hate each other.
It's too confusing.