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Away from Chaos: The Middle East and the Challenge to the West
The Middle East is one of the world's most volatile regions. In recent years, from the optimism and then crushing disappointment of the Arab uprisings through the rise and fall of the Islamic State, it has presented key international security challenges. With the resilient jihadi terror threat, large-scale migration due to warfare and climate change, and fierce competition for control over oil, it promises to continue to be a powder keg. What ignited this instability?
Away from Chaos is a sweeping political history of four decades of Middle East conflict and its worldwide ramifications. Gilles Kepel, called "France's most famous scholar of Islam" by the New York Times, offers a clear and persuasive narrative of the long-term causes of tension while seamlessly incorporating on-the-ground observations and personal experiences from the people who lived through them.
From the Yom Kippur/Ramadan war of 1973 to the aftermath of the Arab Spring, Away from Chaos weaves together the various threads that run through Middle East politics and ties them to their implications on the global stage. With keen insight stemming from decades of experience in the region, Kepel puts these chaotic decades in perspective and illuminates their underlying dynamics. He also considers the prospects of emerging from this long-lasting turmoil and for the people of the Middle East and the world to achieve a more stable future.
Away from Chaos is a sweeping political history of four decades of Middle East conflict and its worldwide ramifications. Gilles Kepel, called "France's most famous scholar of Islam" by the New York Times, offers a clear and persuasive narrative of the long-term causes of tension while seamlessly incorporating on-the-ground observations and personal experiences from the people who lived through them.
From the Yom Kippur/Ramadan war of 1973 to the aftermath of the Arab Spring, Away from Chaos weaves together the various threads that run through Middle East politics and ties them to their implications on the global stage. With keen insight stemming from decades of experience in the region, Kepel puts these chaotic decades in perspective and illuminates their underlying dynamics. He also considers the prospects of emerging from this long-lasting turmoil and for the people of the Middle East and the world to achieve a more stable future.
386 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 11, 2021
62 people are currently reading
490 people want to read
About the author
Gilles Kepel
80 books96 followersA French scholar and analyst of the Islamic and the Arab world. He has written works on Radical Islam including Jihad: The Trail of Political Islam. He was the Philippe Roman Chair in History and International Affairs for 2009-10 at LSE IDEAS (Centre for Diplomacy & Strategy, at the London School of Economics and Political Science.
Professor Kepel has previously been a visiting professor at Columbia University in New York. He speaks Arabic, French, English and Italian.
Kepel's work has stirred intense debates in the French academia. His analyses of political Islam have notably been criticized by Olivier Roy, François Burgat and Alain Roussillon. These 3 authors however are also quite controversial, with secularists like Caroline Fourest or Mohamed Sifaoui being particularly critical of Roy and Burgat's sympathy towards islamists.
Professor Kepel has previously been a visiting professor at Columbia University in New York. He speaks Arabic, French, English and Italian.
Kepel's work has stirred intense debates in the French academia. His analyses of political Islam have notably been criticized by Olivier Roy, François Burgat and Alain Roussillon. These 3 authors however are also quite controversial, with secularists like Caroline Fourest or Mohamed Sifaoui being particularly critical of Roy and Burgat's sympathy towards islamists.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
September 4, 2021
Un libro muy interesante para hacerse una idea de cuál es la situación en los países islámicos mediterráneos y de Oriente Medio y cómo hemos llegado hasta ahí. Empieza en los años setenta, cuando la subida del precio del petróleo provee a las petromonarquías del Golfo Pérsico con abundantes fondos para expandir su visión rigorista del Islam. Fondos que financiarán a los combatientes en Afganistán, que retornarán a sus países dispuestos a expandir sus ideas por la fuerza, dando lugar a las guerras civiles más o menos soterradas de Argelia y Egipto.
A partir se analiza en paralelo la evolución del yihadismo y la sacudida que suponen las primaveras árabes, estudiando sus distintas evoluciones para acabar centrándose en Siria, en una guerra que involucra a multitud de actores, desde la lucha entre suníes (y las rivalidades que surgen entre ellos entre ellos) y chiíes hasta las ambiciones de Rusia o Turquía.
Kepel hace un gran papel al mostrar la evolución de una parte del mundo de la que solo nos solemos acordar cuando aparece en las noticias, al tiempo que nos muestra los equilibrios de poder entre los distintos actores que aspiran a la hegemonía en Oriente Medio.
A partir se analiza en paralelo la evolución del yihadismo y la sacudida que suponen las primaveras árabes, estudiando sus distintas evoluciones para acabar centrándose en Siria, en una guerra que involucra a multitud de actores, desde la lucha entre suníes (y las rivalidades que surgen entre ellos entre ellos) y chiíes hasta las ambiciones de Rusia o Turquía.
Kepel hace un gran papel al mostrar la evolución de una parte del mundo de la que solo nos solemos acordar cuando aparece en las noticias, al tiempo que nos muestra los equilibrios de poder entre los distintos actores que aspiran a la hegemonía en Oriente Medio.
October 28, 2020
C'est vraiment un livre intéressant.. mais, je ne sais pas, il a dû mal tomber. C'est très rare que j'abandonne un livre pour une raison autre que sa qualité intrinsèque, mais là, je ne sais pas, il fallait le rendre à la bibliothèque, le temps m'était donc compté, il fallait que je m'arrête tous les paragraphes pour bien saisir le sens de ce qui était écrit (c'est complexe, l'air de rien !) et j'avais d'autres livres plus attrayants qui m'attendaient.
Tout ça pour dire qu'il ne faut pas hésiter à le lire !
Tout ça pour dire qu'il ne faut pas hésiter à le lire !
October 24, 2022
Buen análisis panorámico de la situación sociopolítica de Oriente Medio hasta la caída de Mosul de 2017. Destaca por su lenguaje asequible y por hacerse muy ameno. Sus grandes fallas, a mi juicio, son la falta de profundidad analítica, asociada al propósito de abarcar un amplio abanico espacial y temporal, y la ausencia de análisis de términos claves para comprender la región. No es un libro académico.
March 14, 2021
Kenntnisreich geschriebenes Buch über die Lage im Nahen Osten und Nordafrika.
Allerdings verliert sich Kepel manchmal in Details und lässt einen roten Faden vermissen, was die Lektüre für den nicht mit der Materie vorbefassten Leser erschwert.
Allerdings verliert sich Kepel manchmal in Details und lässt einen roten Faden vermissen, was die Lektüre für den nicht mit der Materie vorbefassten Leser erschwert.
July 21, 2025
Puede afirmarse con casi total seguridad que Oriente Medio es el lugar más complejo del mundo. Una madeja con miles de hebras que resulta indescifrable para la inmensa mayoría de nuestras sociedades. Hacer digerible, esto es, comprensible, un lugar así, está al alcance de muy pocos. Gilles Kepel es uno de ellos.
Desde el principio, desde las primerísimas páginas, el autor demuestra un nivel de suficiencia asombroso del que da muestras a lo largo de toda la obra; por ejemplo, el lector será capaz de reconocer que Kepel conoce el árabe, que lleva décadas estudiando la región, que ha viajado durante todo ese tiempo a los escenarios que narra y que, incluso, ha sido capaz de entrevistarse con personalidades muy influyentes. Todo ello le aporta un conocimiento extraordinario que es capaz de presentar de un modo accesible. Sin ser una lectura sencilla, la narrativa de Kepel es tan clara como para poder seguir sus explicaciones a la perfección, lo cual facilita la lectura.
En cuanto al tema, el autor parte de 1973, con la crisis del petróleo, y llega hasta 2019, con la salida de USA de Siria bajo la presidencia de Trump. Un abanico temporal muy amplio en el que analiza, entre otras cosas, el surgimiento y proliferación del primer islamismo, la Revolución iraní, los problemas del Yihadismo durante los 90, la emergencia de Al-Qaeda, lo ocurrido a partir de 2003 en Iraq, las primaveras árabes, con especial atención a Siria, y la saga del ISIS. En su análisis, Kepel propone una narración de los hechos acompañada de constantes explicaciones que, en mi opinión, son muy ponderadas, acertadas en su inmensa mayoría. Todo ello desde un prisma que se aleja de lecturas neoconservadoras, tan habituales en autores anglosajones.
En suma, todo lo anterior hace que este sea un libro magnífico; desde luego, uno de los mejores libros que he leído. Absolutamente recomendado. 10/10.
Desde el principio, desde las primerísimas páginas, el autor demuestra un nivel de suficiencia asombroso del que da muestras a lo largo de toda la obra; por ejemplo, el lector será capaz de reconocer que Kepel conoce el árabe, que lleva décadas estudiando la región, que ha viajado durante todo ese tiempo a los escenarios que narra y que, incluso, ha sido capaz de entrevistarse con personalidades muy influyentes. Todo ello le aporta un conocimiento extraordinario que es capaz de presentar de un modo accesible. Sin ser una lectura sencilla, la narrativa de Kepel es tan clara como para poder seguir sus explicaciones a la perfección, lo cual facilita la lectura.
En cuanto al tema, el autor parte de 1973, con la crisis del petróleo, y llega hasta 2019, con la salida de USA de Siria bajo la presidencia de Trump. Un abanico temporal muy amplio en el que analiza, entre otras cosas, el surgimiento y proliferación del primer islamismo, la Revolución iraní, los problemas del Yihadismo durante los 90, la emergencia de Al-Qaeda, lo ocurrido a partir de 2003 en Iraq, las primaveras árabes, con especial atención a Siria, y la saga del ISIS. En su análisis, Kepel propone una narración de los hechos acompañada de constantes explicaciones que, en mi opinión, son muy ponderadas, acertadas en su inmensa mayoría. Todo ello desde un prisma que se aleja de lecturas neoconservadoras, tan habituales en autores anglosajones.
En suma, todo lo anterior hace que este sea un libro magnífico; desde luego, uno de los mejores libros que he leído. Absolutamente recomendado. 10/10.
August 9, 2024
"Away From Chaos" by Gilles Kepel and Henry Randolph is an exploration of the Middle East's tumultuous modern history, providing readers with an analysis of the region's socio-political upheavals. Kepel, a renowned scholar, teams up with Randolph to offer an examination of the forces that have shaped the Middle East from the late 20th century to the present.
Kepel's expertise shines through in the detail and depth of knowledge presented in this book. The authors trace the evolution of radical movements, the impact of international interventions, and the internal dynamics that have contributed to the ongoing instability. Their analysis is both rigorous and accessible, making complex geopolitical developments understandable for a wide audience.
The narrative structure of "Away From Chaos" is effective. Kepel and Randolph organize the book thematically and chronologically, allowing readers to follow the progression of events and understand the interconnectedness of various factors. The authors' ability to connect historical context with current events is commendable, providing a framework that enhances the reader's comprehension of the Middle East's ongoing crises.
Kepel and Randolph avoid simplistic explanations and instead offer a view of the region's challenges. They critique the roles of both local and global actors, highlighting the complexities and often contradictory nature of their actions. This approach ensures a fair and comprehensive analysis, making the book a valuable resource for anyone seeking to understand the intricacies of Middle Eastern politics.
In conclusion, "Away From Chaos" is an essential read for scholars, policymakers, and anyone interested in the Middle East. Kepel and Randolph have crafted a work that not only elucidates the region's past and present but also offers reflections on its future. I totally loved the book!
Kepel's expertise shines through in the detail and depth of knowledge presented in this book. The authors trace the evolution of radical movements, the impact of international interventions, and the internal dynamics that have contributed to the ongoing instability. Their analysis is both rigorous and accessible, making complex geopolitical developments understandable for a wide audience.
The narrative structure of "Away From Chaos" is effective. Kepel and Randolph organize the book thematically and chronologically, allowing readers to follow the progression of events and understand the interconnectedness of various factors. The authors' ability to connect historical context with current events is commendable, providing a framework that enhances the reader's comprehension of the Middle East's ongoing crises.
Kepel and Randolph avoid simplistic explanations and instead offer a view of the region's challenges. They critique the roles of both local and global actors, highlighting the complexities and often contradictory nature of their actions. This approach ensures a fair and comprehensive analysis, making the book a valuable resource for anyone seeking to understand the intricacies of Middle Eastern politics.
In conclusion, "Away From Chaos" is an essential read for scholars, policymakers, and anyone interested in the Middle East. Kepel and Randolph have crafted a work that not only elucidates the region's past and present but also offers reflections on its future. I totally loved the book!
September 29, 2023
Gilles Kepel’s *Away from Chaos* counters an argument I had heard often while studying the Middle East as an undergraduate and later studying Arabic as a graduate student, that the conflicts in the region are not due to religious factionalism between Sunnis and Shi’ites, but are political in nature.
The chapters that were most helpful were those that laid out how religious elements, combined with political and cultural elements, shaped course and failure (or limited success, as in the case of Tunisia) of the Arab Spring. The chapter on the Arab Spring in the Sunni majority countries of Tunisia, Libya, Yemen, and Egypt I found particularly interesting.
The chapters that were most helpful were those that laid out how religious elements, combined with political and cultural elements, shaped course and failure (or limited success, as in the case of Tunisia) of the Arab Spring. The chapter on the Arab Spring in the Sunni majority countries of Tunisia, Libya, Yemen, and Egypt I found particularly interesting.
March 2, 2019
Un super résumé bien documenté et bien analysé expliquant le Monde Arabe. Rien de nouveau pour celles et ceux qui connaissent l’histoire récente de la région.
January 12, 2020
Impressive book. Everyone who wants to understand these conflicts in detail has to read this.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews