The Middle East for dummies / Craig S. Davis.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Davis, Craig S.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Middle East--History.

Middle East.

History.

Middle East--Politics and government.

Politics and government.

Physical Description:

xviii, 386 pages : illustrations, maps ; 24 cm

Place of Publication:

Hoboken, N.J. : John Wiley, [2003]

Summary:

The Middle East is a hotbed of political and military activity. News about the region and its players appear every day in newspapers and on television reports. Information on the Middle East, terrorism, and Islam is in high demand as people seek to better understand the world in which we live. In order to appreciate the deeper cultural, economic, and political significances of current events, many people have opted to broaden their knowledge on the topic of the Middle East. As a result, enrollment in classes about Islamic ideology, current events in the Middle East, and the Arabic language have skyrocketed (www.uwire.com).

Contents:

Part I Getting Acquainted with the Middle East 7

Chapter 1 The Middle East's Relevance in the 21st Century 9

Making Sense of It All 10

Navigating Through the Book 16

Chapter 2 Charting a Map 19

Getting Acquainted with the Region 20

Identifying the Countries, the Land, and the Climate 22

Chapter 3 Middle Eastern Hospitality 27

Meeting the People 27

Welcoming You into Their Homes 29

Trying the Cuisine 30

Part II The History of the Middle East 33

Chapter 4 The Ancient Middle East 35

The Land Formally Known as Mesopotamia (Iraq) 38

The Promised Land (Kings, Gods, and Prophets) 41

Egypt (Pharaohs, Gods, and Pyramids) 46

Iran 50

Anatolia (Turkey) 54

Chapter 5 The Medieval Middle East 57

Islam's Birth and Adolescence 59

A Series of Crusades: Business as Usual 66

Uninvited Guests: The Mongols 68

Succeeding the Mongols: The Ilkhanids and Timurids 70

Unifying and Conquering: The Ottomans 70

Converting Safavids to Shiism 72

Chapter 6 The Modern Middle East 75

A Love-Hate Relationship: The West in the Middle East 76

Clashing Ideologies: Zionism, Arab Nationalism, and the Islamic Revivalism 82

Putting the "Saudi" in Saudi Arabia 83

Establishing the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan 85

Carving Israel from Palestine 86

Coming of Age: Egypt Grows Up 91

The Shah(s) of Iran 94

Talking Turkey 95

Claiming the Prize: Lebanon and Syria 97

Part III Politics, Islam, and Oil: Three Reasons Not to Ignore the Middle East 99

Chapter 7 Leadership: Kings, Presidents, and Dictators 101

Monarchy: Failures and Triumphs 102

Democracy: Failures and Triumphs 103

Theocracy: Failures and Triumphs 104

Socialism 105

Communism 105

Disputed Areas 106

Chapter 8 Islamic Militancy in a Nutshell 109

The Holy Warrior: Terrorist or Freedom Fighter? 109

Jihad: Holy War or Struggle? 110

Manipulating Madrasas: When Schools Teach Islamic Militancy 116

Chapter 9 Islam and the West 117

The Clash of Civilizations 117

The Clash of Values 118

Remaining Aware of Uneasy Friendships and Mutual Distrust 122

Deciphering the Contradiction: Western Culture and Technology 123

Chapter 10 It's All About the Oil: Economics in the Middle East 125

Struggling to Compete 125

If It Runs, It Runs on Oil 126

Economic Failures 129

Linking Economics to Politics 130

Part IV Regions in Turmoil 135

Chapter 11 The Powder Keg: Israel and Palestine 137

Keeping the Mapmakers Busy 138

Uncovering the Origins of Militancy 138

Firefighting with a Blowtorch: The Third Arab-Israeli War 141

Adding More Fuel to the Fire: The Israeli Settlements 144

Sending International "Firefighters" to the Rescue: The Fourth Arab-Israeli War 145

Fanning the Flames in Lebanon 147

Lighting the Fuses: The First Intifada 149

Trying to Stomp Out the Fuses: Ehud Barak 151

Burning Still: The Cycle of Violence Continues 154

Approaching the Fire with a Cool Head 157

Chapter 12 Iraq 161

Weathering Iraq's Stormy Romance with the West 162

Saddam Hussein: A Killer Statesman 166

Chapter 13 Afghanistan 183

Setting the Stage for the Soviet Invasion 185

Fraternizing with the Soviets 188

New Kids on the Block: The Taliban and Al-Qaeda 194

Waging War on Terrorism: The United States Strikes Back 197

Chapter 14 Pakistan 199

Partitioning India 200

Drawing a Blueprint for a Nuke 205

Helping the United States Fight the War on Terrorism 207

Part V Regions in Repair 211

Chapter 15 North Africa 213

Algeria 214

A Rebounding Egypt 220

Libya: Trouble on the Shores of Tripoli 227

The Sudan: A Land of Civil War and Famine 232

Chapter 16 Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria 237

Juggling Diplomacy: How Current Politics Took Their Shape 238

Lebanon 247

Syria 255

Chapter 17 The Arabian Peninsula 259

Saudi Arabia 260

Yemen 271

Chapter 18 Non-Arab Muslim States 275

Iran 275

Somalia 285

Turkey: Politicians, Generals, and Kurds 288

Part VI Cultural Contributions of the Middle East 293

Chapter 19 A Mosaic of Religions 295

Judaism 297

Christianity 300

Islam 303

Chapter 20 Religions on the Edge 307

Religious Minorities 307

Mysticism 310

Chapter 21 The Family: The Hub of Middle Eastern Life 313

Family Dynamics: Love, Honor, and Responsibility 313

The Lives of Women: Separation and Modesty 317

Chapter 22 Language and Literature 321

Language, Ethnicity, and Tradition: You Are What You Speak 322

A Little Background on the Literature of the Middle East 324

Ancient Literature 325

Medieval Literature 327

Modern Literature 334

Chapter 23 Arts and Sciences 339

Science and Philosophy: A Middle East Contribution 340

The Arts and Beyond 341

Chapter 24 Ten Key Ethnic Groups 353

Arab 353

Armenians 354

Ashkenazim 354

Bedouin 354

Berbers 354

Kurds 355

Pashtuns 355

Persians 355

Sephardim/Oriental Jews 356

Turks 356

Chapter 25 Ten Key Militant Groups 357

Al-Qaeda (International) 358

Hezbollah (Lebanon) 359

Kach and Kahane Chai (Israel) 360

Armed Islamic Group (Algeria) 361

Al-Gamaat al-Islamiyya (Egypt) 361

Islamic Jihads (Palestine and Egypt) 362

Hamas (Palestine) 363

Harakat al-Mujahidin (Pakistan and Kashmir) 364

Jaish-i Muhammad (Pakistan and Kashmir) 365

Kurdistan Workers Party (Turkey) 366

Chapter 26 Ten Key Challenges 367

Assigning the Blame 367

Coming into the Nuclear Age 368

Economic Development and Poverty 368

Ethnic and Religious Pluralism 368

Gender Inequity 369

Islamic Extremism 369

Military Spending 369

Overcoming the Colonial Legacy 370

Unequal Distribution of Wealth 370

Western-Style Democracy 370.

Notes:

Includes index.

ISBN:

0764554832

OCLC:

52288107