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A Concise History of the Arabs
The key to understanding the Arab world today is unlocking its past.
In this authoritative account, John McHugo takes the reader through the political, social and intellectual history of the Arabs from the Roman Empire right up to the present day. Going beyond the headlines, he describes in vivid detail a series of key turning points in Arab history – from the mission of the Prophet Muhammad and the expansion of Islam to the region’s interaction with Western ideas and the rise of Islamism.
Now fully updated to cover the tumultuous years since the Arab Spring, this lucidly told history reveals how the Arab world came to have its present form and illuminates the choices that lie ahead.
John McHugo is a Senior Fellow at the Centre for Syrian Studies at St Andrews University. A board member of the Council for Arab British Understanding and the British Egyptian Society, he is also an advisor to Tim Farron, leader of the Liberal Democrats, on peace in the Middle East. McHugo’s writing has featured in History Today, The World Today, Jewish Quarterly and on the BBC News and Al Jazeera websites. His other publications include Syria: A Recent History. He lives in London.
In this authoritative account, John McHugo takes the reader through the political, social and intellectual history of the Arabs from the Roman Empire right up to the present day. Going beyond the headlines, he describes in vivid detail a series of key turning points in Arab history – from the mission of the Prophet Muhammad and the expansion of Islam to the region’s interaction with Western ideas and the rise of Islamism.
Now fully updated to cover the tumultuous years since the Arab Spring, this lucidly told history reveals how the Arab world came to have its present form and illuminates the choices that lie ahead.
John McHugo is a Senior Fellow at the Centre for Syrian Studies at St Andrews University. A board member of the Council for Arab British Understanding and the British Egyptian Society, he is also an advisor to Tim Farron, leader of the Liberal Democrats, on peace in the Middle East. McHugo’s writing has featured in History Today, The World Today, Jewish Quarterly and on the BBC News and Al Jazeera websites. His other publications include Syria: A Recent History. He lives in London.
352 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2009
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About the author
John McHugo
8 books17 followersAfter studying Arabic and Islamic studies at Oxford University and the American University in Cairo in the early 1970s, John McHugo’s career as an international lawyer took him to a number of Arab countries including Egypt, Oman and Bahrain over a period of more than a quarter of a century. He is an honorary Senior Fellow at the Centre for Syrian Studies at St. Andrews, and a board member of the Council for Arab-British Understanding and the British Egyptian Society. He has also written on legal aspects of the Arab-Israeli dispute. His publications include A Concise History of Sunnis and Shi‘is, A Concise History of the Arabs and Syria: A Recent History.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews
October 2, 2015
'A Concise History of the Arabs' is just that. A concise history of the Arabs. The bibliography is impressive, the effort tremendous, the result a breathless over 300 pages of history and vast complexities needing tomes. For anyone who is interested in our common future (because it is already and will have to be a future we make together) this is just the right book to get you going and give you an idea of the difficulties to overcome. Not just ‘our’ difficulties with ‘them’, but very much ‘their’ difficulties with ‘us’. Because McHugo made a valiant effort to stay neutral, he did barely mention the oil which has always been a main mover for the Western powers. We wanted it, and ‘they’ had it. That’s surely one of the reasons why the Middle Eastern countries (mandates, tribes, pre-countries, problem areas, aspirational nations) have been sold out by the Europeans and the Americans alike time and time again, until trust became the one commodity to dry up completely.
He did mention the 'Balfour Declaration' which flew in the face of earlier declared assurances. And the founding of Zionist (emphasis on Zionist in this context) Israel, is—how could we fail to know—at the heart of so much that has happened in the Middle East since the Second World War.
The Arab world itself has its own schisms (Sunni versus Shi’ite sectarianism, politics of patronage (nepotism) against democracy, theocracy versus a secular state) which time and again give rise to internal wars.
McHugo: “Arab countries need strong and competent governments to see them through the difficult times ahead.”
When referring to the so-called 'Arab Spring' McHugo quotes (apocryphal) Zhou Enlai who is supposed to have said, ‘It’s too early to tell how significant the French Revolution has been’. Even though these uprisings at first sight seem to have failed, they have all striven to work within a constitutional framework, and it’s too soon to know how much they have turned the tide. With their roots in the hierarchical Sheykh-dom, dictators are the norm rather than the exception. Young Arab Moslems want participation, want change. But patronage will take decades to eradicate.
McHugo: “It also requires the USA, Israel, Iran and other foreign powers not to seek to turn events to the advantage of their own, narrow interests.”
Western uprisings in the past were either suppressed or corrupted, and yet they slowly drained away the legitimacy of Christian hereditary authorities, slowly making way for ‘government by consent’. The ‘Arab Spring’ has only just begun.
He did mention the 'Balfour Declaration' which flew in the face of earlier declared assurances. And the founding of Zionist (emphasis on Zionist in this context) Israel, is—how could we fail to know—at the heart of so much that has happened in the Middle East since the Second World War.
The Arab world itself has its own schisms (Sunni versus Shi’ite sectarianism, politics of patronage (nepotism) against democracy, theocracy versus a secular state) which time and again give rise to internal wars.
McHugo: “Arab countries need strong and competent governments to see them through the difficult times ahead.”
When referring to the so-called 'Arab Spring' McHugo quotes (apocryphal) Zhou Enlai who is supposed to have said, ‘It’s too early to tell how significant the French Revolution has been’. Even though these uprisings at first sight seem to have failed, they have all striven to work within a constitutional framework, and it’s too soon to know how much they have turned the tide. With their roots in the hierarchical Sheykh-dom, dictators are the norm rather than the exception. Young Arab Moslems want participation, want change. But patronage will take decades to eradicate.
McHugo: “It also requires the USA, Israel, Iran and other foreign powers not to seek to turn events to the advantage of their own, narrow interests.”
Western uprisings in the past were either suppressed or corrupted, and yet they slowly drained away the legitimacy of Christian hereditary authorities, slowly making way for ‘government by consent’. The ‘Arab Spring’ has only just begun.
January 12, 2022
A CONCISE HISTORY OF THE ARABS (2009) is an insightful and useful introduction to Arab History. I must stress the importance of the word "concise", because it is just that.
McHugo, the author, is a British scholar who undertook undergraduate and postgraduate Arabic studies at Oxford University and at the American University in Cairo. He is also a lawyer who worked for long periods in Egypt, Bahrain and Oman.
His point of departure for this book was his impatience with the expression "clash of civilizations", used as a mindless slogan. "Even before 9/11," he writes "there had been loose talk of a 'clash of civilisations'. For many people, this put Islam - and therefore the Arab world - in existential opposition to the democracies of the West". The "clash of civilizations " is the notion he will attempt to debunk in this book.
The book's aim is to help readers, particularly those outside this region, understand "how the Arab world has arrived where it is today, and that can only be done by learning about its history. If we do not do so, we cannot heal the rifts between us."
You will find nothing about the history of the Arabs before Islam in this book. He writes about 1400 years of Arab history from the Prophet Muhammad to the Arab Spring in less than 300 pages so you shouldn't expect in depth analysis of particular episodes. However , as an introductory text, I found it eye-opening, clear and well researched and worth recommending.
McHugo, the author, is a British scholar who undertook undergraduate and postgraduate Arabic studies at Oxford University and at the American University in Cairo. He is also a lawyer who worked for long periods in Egypt, Bahrain and Oman.
His point of departure for this book was his impatience with the expression "clash of civilizations", used as a mindless slogan. "Even before 9/11," he writes "there had been loose talk of a 'clash of civilisations'. For many people, this put Islam - and therefore the Arab world - in existential opposition to the democracies of the West". The "clash of civilizations " is the notion he will attempt to debunk in this book.
The book's aim is to help readers, particularly those outside this region, understand "how the Arab world has arrived where it is today, and that can only be done by learning about its history. If we do not do so, we cannot heal the rifts between us."
You will find nothing about the history of the Arabs before Islam in this book. He writes about 1400 years of Arab history from the Prophet Muhammad to the Arab Spring in less than 300 pages so you shouldn't expect in depth analysis of particular episodes. However , as an introductory text, I found it eye-opening, clear and well researched and worth recommending.
May 10, 2017
I think that as a history book, this book fails miserably. First off, it starts with the general assumption that Arab=Islam and starts everything from the time of Mohammad. What about before? That is the interesting part actually, in order to better understand what makes Islam what it is today, as it came out of that culture.
The history of expansion part was okay, nothing special. but the book utterly fails when it comes to the modern era, where the author's personal view of Israel/Palestine conflict starts to rule the book. It starts to go into weird tangents, which are mostly highly opinionated argumentation. I'm from Turkey, so I have a clear view of Palestine/Israel problem and I find Israel's stance 90% wrong. Even with that, the indignant, agressive way the book handles the situation put me off.
It does not provide much insight honestly; and there was this very subtle beautification of Islamist movements which I did not appreciate at all. I think that Dr. McHugo bit a bigger piece than he can chew.
The history of expansion part was okay, nothing special. but the book utterly fails when it comes to the modern era, where the author's personal view of Israel/Palestine conflict starts to rule the book. It starts to go into weird tangents, which are mostly highly opinionated argumentation. I'm from Turkey, so I have a clear view of Palestine/Israel problem and I find Israel's stance 90% wrong. Even with that, the indignant, agressive way the book handles the situation put me off.
It does not provide much insight honestly; and there was this very subtle beautification of Islamist movements which I did not appreciate at all. I think that Dr. McHugo bit a bigger piece than he can chew.
November 23, 2015
A great, fast read if you want to understand what went into making the morass that is the Middle East today. McHugo displays an unfortunate bias against Israel in a few places, but overall, this is a good way to get up to speed -- especially on the Arab aspects of the political and social situations. Because of his bias, his analysis of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is a bit one-sided. But the rest of it is very helpful indeed.
October 20, 2014
An interesting read giving much more context to terms so frequently heard in the media. If it describes a bloody mess it is perhaps a less confusing mess after reading this, if you are looking to broaden your Middle East horizons this is a good place to start
January 9, 2020
An excellent starting point for anyone who is interested in understanding the Middle East. Though quite short, John McHugo delivers a clear and concise authoritative exposition of how wars, conflicts and nations should be understood in light of its complex history.
April 21, 2014
Lots of history and maps . You may understand the Ukraine in an abstract way . The big powers draw the boundaries and divide the spoils with no understanding of the ethnic groups dispersed Wars are about access and trade .
June 19, 2023
Aptly named. Author is evenhanded and articulate, footnotes are full of good info, quick, dense read.
July 19, 2021
The book is exactly what the titles says: A concise history of the Arabs, starting from the point they are muslims up to the first results of the Arab Spring in 2011. It was written after all in 2013. What is definitely missing is anything about the Arabs before Islam.
It is a kind of summary of the major political and social happenings in the area from Afganistan to Marocco. The narrative is focusing mainly to the area from Iran to Tunisia. For somebody (like me) that has no extensive knowledge of the history of the area, it was a really good book. It goes through the differences between Sunnis and Shiites and the main colonial, social and theoretical influences that have scarred the area and explain many of the happennings of the last two centuries.
The information included in the book is vast, which makes it a kind of difficult to read. The language flows and it does not get tiring, the way history books can be, but in the end of the day, I am not sure I remember a lot of the information included. I can definitely say that I understand a bit more what has happened and maybe why we in Europe cannot totally grasp what is happening in that area. And the major gain from this book, is the realisation that all Arabs are not the same and all Arabic countries do not have the same problems, as well as the information about how Israel came to be a country in that area.
I recommend this book to anybody that has no idea about Arabic history and wants to read an essay that is as objective as possible. I have seen reviews that blame the author for being against Israel, a point I cannot judge, but definitely his book is not against the Arabs, the was a lot of narratives in Europe are. I really wish the area finds its way to a more democratic future.
It is a kind of summary of the major political and social happenings in the area from Afganistan to Marocco. The narrative is focusing mainly to the area from Iran to Tunisia. For somebody (like me) that has no extensive knowledge of the history of the area, it was a really good book. It goes through the differences between Sunnis and Shiites and the main colonial, social and theoretical influences that have scarred the area and explain many of the happennings of the last two centuries.
The information included in the book is vast, which makes it a kind of difficult to read. The language flows and it does not get tiring, the way history books can be, but in the end of the day, I am not sure I remember a lot of the information included. I can definitely say that I understand a bit more what has happened and maybe why we in Europe cannot totally grasp what is happening in that area. And the major gain from this book, is the realisation that all Arabs are not the same and all Arabic countries do not have the same problems, as well as the information about how Israel came to be a country in that area.
I recommend this book to anybody that has no idea about Arabic history and wants to read an essay that is as objective as possible. I have seen reviews that blame the author for being against Israel, a point I cannot judge, but definitely his book is not against the Arabs, the was a lot of narratives in Europe are. I really wish the area finds its way to a more democratic future.
May 8, 2014
Many times short-handing a subject in effect short-changes the matter. Such is not entirely the case in A Concise History of the Arabs. Although, it does suffer from some superficial glossing over history not much more can be expected from a book that promises to be concise. The defining feature of this book is its one of the first books to break away from orientalist views of the Region and shows that McHugo is an invested individual that has spent time in the region and can successfully empathize with the Arab population.
He chooses to heed to facts and does not try to forcefully fit pieces of a puzzle in the wrong places.He approaches the subject with an open-mind and an open-heart and as a result has contributed a cultural and historical artifact. merci, beaucoup.
He chooses to heed to facts and does not try to forcefully fit pieces of a puzzle in the wrong places.He approaches the subject with an open-mind and an open-heart and as a result has contributed a cultural and historical artifact. merci, beaucoup.
April 4, 2016
This book does exactly what it says on the cover: deliver concisely a history of the Arabs from Ancient times to modern, through the birth of Islam to the politicised religious conflicts of the present. Inevitably, such a broad canvas cannot include everything, but McHugo has selected his material judiciously and maintains a solid momentum so that the reader's interest never flags.
February 13, 2022
Carefully researched and very well organized. The author is demonstrably anti-Israel and anti-western in some respects, with certain choice omissions, e.g. never referring to the fact that the Al-Aqsa mosque is also the Temple Mount, for example, leaving the reader to assume the only reason an Israeli leader would go there is pure provocation. Nevertheless it's clear that overall he seeks to fairly present history as it happened, and few actors in this book come out looking perfect.
The chapter on terrorism is also a little strange, and a straightforward reading of it could easily lead to the conclusion that the author does believe terrorism is a legitimate method to pursue the "greater good". A more charitable interpretation is that he simply wants to highlight hypocritical differences in how terrorism is viewed, depending on who is doing it.
These points aside, the book is a masterful tapestry of regional and world events which shaped Arab history, and well worth reading.
The chapter on terrorism is also a little strange, and a straightforward reading of it could easily lead to the conclusion that the author does believe terrorism is a legitimate method to pursue the "greater good". A more charitable interpretation is that he simply wants to highlight hypocritical differences in how terrorism is viewed, depending on who is doing it.
These points aside, the book is a masterful tapestry of regional and world events which shaped Arab history, and well worth reading.
December 15, 2024
More of a "concise history of the last 150 years in Arabian lands, with some background", for pretty obvious reasons, but still a worthwhile read. Some things always bear repeating, like, for instance, the fake dichotomy between the "right" and "wrong" terrorism (my freedom fighter is your terrorist, in other words).
December 20, 2017
This is an exceptional book and should be read by anyone seeking to gain a better understanding of the history of the Arab peoples, the spread of Islam and the seemingly intractable challenges that face the modern world as religion, politics and war have brought the Islamic faith into sharp focus.
July 5, 2021
Com diu el títol, una breu història dels àrabs. Aquesta obra se centra, especialment, en aquells esdeveniments, sobretot a partir del s. XVIII i XIX que han configurat el món àrab com el coneixem avui en dia.
December 22, 2022
Durante los siglos de apogeo imperial romano, gran parte de lo que ahora llamamos Medio Oriente tenía más puntos en común con la cultura greco-latina que vastas porciones del norte europeo: el mundo árabe no era radicalmente ajeno y no lo fue durante mucho tiempo más.
October 23, 2023
One of the worst histories of the Middle East I’ve read. Broad sweeping claims devoid of detail and nuance, terribly structured with poor transitions, and most importantly—extremely biased and is arguably anti-Semitic
August 7, 2024
A good book, great in parts, average in others.
The book goes into good (slightly more than introductory) detail on Islam, which comes hand-in-hand with 'Arabs' but considers various other factors also. Some parts were, in my opinion, a bit too explanatory/philosophical rather than 'concise'
The book goes into good (slightly more than introductory) detail on Islam, which comes hand-in-hand with 'Arabs' but considers various other factors also. Some parts were, in my opinion, a bit too explanatory/philosophical rather than 'concise'
October 30, 2018
A sweeping history which covers the most poignant moments from the history of the Arabs right up to the Arab Spring
July 16, 2019
Not what I thought, in that very little was history in the sense I expected, being over 70 per cent recent history or 'current affairs'.
Okay book, but what I wanted just now.
Okay book, but what I wanted just now.
March 28, 2020
Subjective and rich in details yet at the the same time it is very well summarized. I recommend this book to Arabs and Non-Arabs alike.
October 23, 2023
A fairly readable history of Arab socio-political development up until about the Arab Spring. Glosses over a lot but is nonetheless informative.
February 24, 2024
Good. Interesting. Informative. Great reminders of stuff I used to know about the history of the Middle East. Much still to learn.
July 1, 2024
Very meh. Missed out on a ton of context, formed an unenlightening narrative, but I think it included a bulk of the important events that were told well.
Read
January 19, 2025Muy buen texto, aunque no se profundizó mucho la época de los Califas
November 20, 2023
Guy literally fit the ocean in a jar!
It’s crazy to gather so much of history and information and keeping it concise.
Nicely written.
It’s crazy to gather so much of history and information and keeping it concise.
Nicely written.
May 8, 2014
Many times short-handing a subject in effect short-changes the matter. Such is not entirely the case in A Concise History of the Arabs. Although, it does suffer from some superficial glossing over history not much more can be expected from a book that promises to be concise. The defining feature of this book is its one of the first books to break away from orientalist views of the Region and shows that McHugo is an invested individual that has spent time in the region and can successfully empathize with the Arab population.
He chooses to heed to facts and does not try to forcefully fit pieces of a puzzle in the wrong places.He approaches the subject with an open-mind and an open-heart and as a result has contributed a cultural and historical artifact. merci, beaucoup.
He chooses to heed to facts and does not try to forcefully fit pieces of a puzzle in the wrong places.He approaches the subject with an open-mind and an open-heart and as a result has contributed a cultural and historical artifact. merci, beaucoup.
September 16, 2014
This book had just enough detail for me (this is definitely a CONCISE history) but so lucidly written there's a danger of believing you actually understand the history of this turbulent part of the world -- surely something everybody is wondering about at the moment. The author doesn't manage to mask his strong views on Israel but, apart from that it's well balanced. Highly recommended.
June 2, 2017
Concise and comprehensive. Wouldn't hesitate to recommend to any English reader hoping to earn a better understanding of the history of the Middle East, Islam, and Arabic peoples over the last 1500 years or so.
January 2, 2015
Nothing new...
Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews