(1) Bernard Lewis, "The Middle East: A Brief History of the Last 2,000 Years"
Scribner | 1995 | ISBN: 0684807122 | 465 pages | siPDF | 9.5 MB
As the birthplace of three religions as and many civilizations, the Middle East has for centuries been a center of knowledge and ideas, of techniques and commodities, and, at times, of military and political power. With the historical—and still growing—importance of the Middle East in modern politics, historian Bernard Lewis's cogent and scholarly writing brings a wider understanding of the cultures of the region to a popular audience.
In this immensely readable and broad history, Lewis charts the successive transformations of the Middle East, beginning with the two great empires, the Roman and the Persian, whose disputes divided the region two thousand years ago; the development of monotheism and the growth of Christianity; the astonishingly rapid rise and spread of Islam over a vast area; the waves of invaders from the East and the Mongol hordes of Jengiz Khan; the rise of the Ottoman Turks in Anatoia, the Mamluks in Egypt and the Safavids in Iran; the peak and decline of the great Ottoman states; and the changing balance of power between the Muslim and Christian worlds.
Within this narrative, Lewis details the myriad forces that have shaped the history of the Middle East: the Islamic religion and legal system; the traditions of government; the immense variety of trade and the remarkably wide range of crops; the elites—military, commercial, religious, intellectual and artistic—and the commonality, including such socially distinct groups as slaves, women and non-believers.
He finally weaves these threads together by looking at the pervasive impact in modern times of Western ideas and technology, and the responses and reactions they evoked. Rich with vivid detail and the knowledge of a great scholar, this brilliant survey of the history and civilizations of the Middle East reveals the huge Islamic contribution to European life, as well as the European contribution to the Islamic world.
From Booklist
For more than 50 years, Lewis has strived mightily and successfully to explain the cultures and histories of Middle Eastern peoples to Western readers. The task of writing a political history of the region has already been fulfilled by him and by many others. In his latest work, Lewis has chosen to accentuate the social, economic, and cultural changes that have occurred over 20 centuries. He ranges from seemingly trivial concerns (changes in dress and manners in an Arab coffeehouse) to earth-shaking events (the Mongol conquest of Mesopotamia) in painting a rich, varied, and fascinating portrait of a region that is steeped in traditionalism while often forced by geography and politics to accept change. As always, Lewis is eloquent, incisive, and displays an intuitive grasp of the social dynamics of the culture he describes. Both scholars and general readers with an interest in the Middle East will find this work a delight.
Contents
List of Maps
List of Illustrations
Preface
Illustrations
Part I – Introduction
Part II – Antecedents
1 Before Christianity
2 Before Islam
Part III – The Dawn and Noon of Islam
3 Origins
4 The 'Abbasid Caliphate
5 The Coming of the Steppe Peoples
6 The Mongol Aftermath
7 The Gunpowder Empires
Part IV – Cross-Sections
8 The State
9 The Economy
10 The Elites
11 The Commonalty
12 Religion and Law
13 Culture
Part V – The Challenge of Modernity
14 Challenge
15 Change
16 Response and Reaction
17 New Ideas
18 From War to War
19 From Freedom to Freedom
Notes
Bibliographical Note
Note on Calendars
Chronology
Maps
Index
Download link
(2) World Conflicts: Asia and the Middle East
Salem Press | ISBN 158765136X | 2003 | PDF | 10.4 MB | 657 pages
Asia and the Middle East examines crisis areas in the nations of the Middle East, South Asia, Southeast Asia, and East Asia. This set applies a broad definition to "Middle East" to encompass the predominantly Muslim nations of both the eastern Mediterranean region and North Africa. This definition corresponds closely with the U.S. State Department's definition of "Near East." The thirty-four articles in World Conflicts: Asia and the Middle East are updated versions of articles that appeared in Salem Press's World Conflicts and Confrontations. Two of the articles cover broad regions (Middle East and Asia); the rest cover individual nations. Designed to meet the needs of students, faculty, and others seeking clear explanations of and background to what has been going on in the region's many troubled countries, the set identifies the "hot spots" and offers in-depth analyses of the countries facing difficult and dangerous problems that are of vital concern to the entire world. The nations covered in individual essays have been selected because of the intensity of their recent and current conflicts, as well as the roles they play in the world as a whole. The essays on Asia and the Middle East explore regional patterns, analyzing why some countries within the regions have been more prone to conflict than have others, and pointing up trends that may have implications for the future. Each essay opens with a statement summarizing the most pressing problems of the country, followed by an analysis of the origins, nature, and history of these problems. Basic facts and statistics pertaining to each country are summarized in boxed profiles. Moreover, every essay contains at least one map, a detailed time line of modern events, and a discussion of sources of further information, with special attention to the growing availability of the valuable online resources of the World Wide Web. Appendices include an article on U.N. Peacekeeping Operations; a glossary; a list of print and broadcast news sources that provide up-to-the-minute news on Asian and Middle Eastern affairs; and a list of nations arranged by conflict types.
(3) Arthur Goldschmidt & Lawrence Davidson, "A Concise History of the Middle East (8th Edition)"
Westview Press | 8th Edition | 2006 | ISBN: 0813342759 | 576 pages | siPDF | 10.1 MB
The eighth edition of Arthur Goldschmidt’s widely acclaimed text has been extensively revised to reflect the latest scholarship and the most recent events in the Middle East. As an introduction to the history of this turbulent region from the beginnings of Islam to the present day, the book is distinguished by its clear style, broad scope, and balanced treatment. Written for undergraduate college students, the text assumes no prior knowledge of Middle Eastern history. It focuses on the evolution of Islamic institutions and culture, the influence of the West, the modernization efforts of Middle Eastern governments, the struggle of various peoples for political independence, the course of the Arab-Israeli conflict, the reassertion of Islamic values and power, the aftermath of the Gulf War, and issues surrounding the Palestinian Question. The eighth edition brings new discussion to the post-9/11 political developments and surveys terrorism in the Middle East, the Iraq War, and the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.
The list of contents is very long, so i decided to mention only main headings. I highly recommend this book.
Contents
List of Illustrations
Maps
Figures
Tables
Preface to the Eighth Edition
1 Introduction
What Is History?
2 The Middle East Before Muhammad
3 The Prophet of Mecca
Muhammad's Early Life
4 What Is Islam?
Basic Beliefs
God
Angels
Books
Messengers
Judgment Day
The Five Pillars of Islam
Witness (Shahadah)
Worship (Salat)
Fasting (Sawm)
Tithing (Zakat)
Pilgrimage (Hajj)
Other Duties and Prohibitions
Conclusion
5 The Early Arab Conquests
The Succession Issue
6 The High Caliphate
Restoration of the Umayyad Order
Abd al-Malik's Triumph
The Downfall of the Umayyads
The Abbasid Caliphate
7 Shi'is and Turks, Crusaders and Mongols
8 Islamic Civilization
9 Firearms, Slaves, and Empires
The Mamluks
The Mamluk Ruling System
The Decline of the Mamluks
10 European Interests and Imperialism
Ottoman Weakness
11 Westernizing Reform in the Nineteenth Century
Egypt
Napoleon's Occupation
12 The Rise of Nationalism
Egyptian Nationalism
13 The Roots of Arab Bitterness
Arab Nationalism
14 Modernizing Rulers in the Independent States
15 Egypt's Struggle for Independence
Britain's Role in Egypt
16 The Contest for Palestine
Origins
17 Israel's Rebirth and the Rise of Arab Nationalism
Israel's War for Independence
18 War and the Quest for Peace
The June 1967 War
19 The Reassertion of Islamic Power
Prefatory Remarks on Islam and Politics
The Iranian Revolution
20 The Gulf War and the Peace Process
The Gulf Crisis
Iraq's Complaints and Claims
Iraq's Annexation of Kuwait
21 The War on Terrorism
The Present in Historical Perspective
Survey of Terrorism
Chronology
Glossary
Bibliographic Essay
Appendix
Table A.1 Basic Statistics for Middle Eastern Countries
Table A.2 How Many Palestinians?
Index
(4) Patrick Tyler, "A World of Trouble: The White House and the Middle East--from the Cold War to the War on Terror"
Farrar, Straus and Giroux | 2009 | ISBN: 0374292892 | 640 pages | siPDF | 9.9 MB
The Middle East is the beginning and the end of U.S. foreign policy: events there influence our alliances, make or break presidencies, govern the price of oil, and draw us into war. But it was not always so—and as Patrick Tyler shows in this thrilling chronicle of American misadventures in the region, the story of American presidents’ dealings there is one of mixed motives, skulduggery, deceit, and outright foolishness, as well as of policymaking and diplomacy.
Tyler draws on newly opened presidential archives to dramatize the approach to the Middle East across U.S. presidencies from Eisenhower to George W. Bush. He takes us into the Oval Office and shows how our leaders made momentous decisions; at the same time, the sweep of this narrative—from the Suez crisis to the Iran hostage crisis to George W. Bush’s catastrophe in Iraq—lets us see the big picture as never before. Tyler tells a story of presidents being drawn into the affairs of the region against their will, being kept in the dark by local potentates, being led astray by grasping subordinates, and making decisions about the internal affairs of countries they hardly understand. Above all, he shows how each president has managed to undo the policies of his predecessor, often fomenting both anger against America on the streets of the region and confusion at home.
A World of Trouble is the Middle East book we need now: compulsively readable, free of cant and ideology, and rich in insight about the very human challenges a new president will face as he or she tries to restore America’s standing in the region.
From Publishers Weekly
In this epic, remarkably readable history of U.S. involvement in the Middle East from Eisenhower to Bush II, Washington Post reporter Tyler uses an up-close, journalistic style to depict the power struggles and compromises that have defined the past half-century. Tyler focuses on key turning points in U.S.–Middle East relations and documents the conversations and real-time decision-making processes of the presidents, cabinet members and other key figures. Readers are treated to an intimate view of Eisenhower's careful, steady diplomacy during the Suez crisis, Kissinger's egocentric and fateful decision to fully arm Israel in the October war of 1973 while Nixon struggled through the Watergate scandal, and the tangled web of communication and intentional deceit during the Reagan administration that led to the Iran-Contra scandal. Tyler makes the issues and relationships clear without resorting to oversimplification or ideological grandstanding, and his journalistic instincts steer him toward direct quotation and telling anecdotes rather than generalization. Readers in the market for an examination of how leadership has embroiled the U.S. in the Middle East are well-advised to consult this riveting text.
Contents
“ List of Illustrations
Prologue: America in the Middle East
1 The Arab Awakening: Eisenhower, Nasser, and Suez
2 The Six-Day War: Johnson and Israel
3 Nixon and Brezhnev: Cold War and International Terror
4 Nixon and Kissinger: Yom Kippur—The October War
5 Jimmy Carter: Camp David and the Struggle with Menachem Begin
6 Carter and the Shah: Khomeini's Revolution
7 The Shame of Lebanon: Reagan's Warriors in the Middle East
8 The Iran-Contra Affair: The Clash of Saudi and Israeli Influence
9 Nebuchadnezzar-Land: Saddam Hussein and the Persian Gulf War
10 Bill Clinton: Tilting at Peace, Flailing at Saddam
11 Clinton: Flight from Terror; Lost Peace
12 George W. Bush: A World of Trouble
Notes
Acknowledgments
Index
Download link 2
(5) Spies in Arabia: The Great War and the Cultural Foundations of Britain's Covert Empire in the Middle East By Priya Satia
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA | ISBN: 0195331419 | edition 2008 | PDF | 472 pages | 2 mb
At the dawn of the twentieth century, British intelligence agents began to venture in increasing numbers to the Arab lands of the Ottoman Empire, a region of crucial geopolitical importance spanning present-day Iraq, Jordan, Syria, and Saudi Arabia. They were drawn by the twin objectives of securing the land route to India and finding adventure and spiritualism in a mysterious and ancient land. But these competing desires created a dilemma: how were they to discreetly and patriotically gather facts in a region they were drawn to for its legendary inscrutability and by the promise of fame and escape from Britain?
In this groundbreaking book, Priya Satia tracks the intelligence community's tactical grappling with this problem and the myriad cultural, institutional, and political consequences of their methodological choices during and after the Great War. She tells the story of how an imperial state in thrall to the cultural notions of equivocal agents and beset by an equally captivated and increasingly assertive mass democracy invented a wholly new style of "covert empire" centered on the world's first brutal aerial surveillance regime in Iraq. Drawing on a wealth of archival sources--from the fictional to the recently declassified--this book explains how Britons reconciled genuine ethical scruples with the actual violence of their Middle Eastern empire. As it vividly demonstrates how imperialism was made fit for an increasingly democratic and anti-imperial world, what emerges is a new interpretation of the military, cultural, and political legacies of the Great War and of the British Empire in the twentieth century.
Download link
(6) Conflicts in the Middle East since 1945 (The Making of the Contemporary World)
Routledge | 192 pages | 2003 | ISBN: 0415317878 | PDF | 1.7 mb
Since the Second World War, conflicts such as the Iran-Iraq War and the Kuwait Crisis have made the Middle East the main focus of military attention. Conflicts in the Middle East analyzes the nature of conflict in the Middle East, with its racial, ethnic,political, cultural, religious and economic factors.
Giving a much-needed historical overview, the main conflicts are also put in their wider context with a thematic debate of issues such
as
* The emergence of radical Islam
* The resolution of conflicts
* Diplomacy and peace-making
* The role of the superpowers.
The new edition brings the book up to date and includes an examination of the effects of 9/11 on the Middle East Process and Bush's war on terrorism. Also included is an extended chronology and an updated bibliography.Conflicts in the Middle East since 1945 is an indispensable introduction to modern Middle Eastern history for undergraduates and the general reader alike.
Download link 2
(7) Christopher Catherwood - A Brief History of the Middle East: From Abraham to Arafat (Brief History Series)
Pages:400 | PDF | Running Pr Book Publ (16. Oktober 2006) | ISBN 0786717009 | 4 MB
In The Brief History of the Middle East author Christopher Catherwood attempts to show how our entire world is ultimately shaped by events that have unfolded or have their origin in the Middle East. Catherwood insists that, unless we allow ignorance to blind uswhich to a certain extent it already hasthe Middle East must not be viewed as "some strange place over there. " Three of the world's major organized religionsJudaism, Christianity, and Islamall stem from the area, as do defining civilizations from Ancient Egypt to Babylonia. Catherwood examines this storied region through the lens of the present by asking these questions. How did the Palestinian issue arise? Why does Osama bin Laden harp on the glories of Moorish Spain? Why did Islamic extremism come to be a substitute for Arab socialist nationalism for so many? Today's headlines have clear historical explanations, and The Brief History of the Middle East will bring that concept into focus
Download link 1
(8) Bernard Lewis, From Babel to Dragomans: Interpreting the Middle East
Oxford University Press | ISBN 0195182537 | 2005 | PDF | 2 MB | 438 pages
Bernard Lewis is recognized around the globe as one of the leading authorities on Islam. Hailed as "the world's foremost Islamic scholar" (Wall Street Journal), as "a towering figure among experts on the culture and religion of the Muslim world" (Baltimore Sun), and as "the doyen of Middle Eastern studies" (New York Times), Lewis is nothing less than a national treasure, a trusted voice that politicians, journalists, historians, and the general public have all turned to for insight into the Middle East. Now, this revered authority has brought together writings and lectures that he has written over four decades, featuring his reflections on Middle Eastern history and foreign affairs, the Iranian Revolution, the state of Israel, the writing of history, and much more.
The essays cover such urgent and compelling topics as "What Saddam Wrought," "Deconstructing Osama and His Evil Appeal," "The Middle East, Westernized Despite Itself," "The Enemies of God," and "Can Islam Be Secularized?" The collection ranges from two English originals of articles published before only in foreign languages, to previously unpublished writings, to his highly regarded essays from publications such as Foreign Affairs and The New York Review of Books. With more than fifty pieces in all, plus a new introduction to the book by Lewis, this is a valuable collection for everyone interested in the Middle East. Here then is a rich repository of wisdom on one of the key areas of the modern world--a wealth of profound reflections on Middle Eastern history, culture, politics, and current events.
Download link 2