The Contemporary Middle East: With Special Contributions by Arthur Goldschmidt Jr. and Shibley Telhami

by Westview Press, Shibley Westview Press, Shibley Telhami

This volume of provocative contributions by an impressive array of leading scholars, journalists, and policy advisors provides a brief and accessible introduction to selected topical issues of the Middle East. Academic contributors include Arthur Goldschmidt Jr., William Cleveland, Colbert Held, Shibley Telhami, David Lesch, David E. Long, Bernard Reich, Samih Farsoun, and Phebe Marr, among notable others--complemented by contributions from former State Department official David Phillips, senior journalists Mark Huband and Thomas Lippman, and Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter Anthony Shadid.With an integrative opening essay by honored scholar Arthur Goldschmidt Jr, The Contemporary Middle East is an invaluable new core text for courses introducing students to the current Middle East. Its strategic pairing of topics (Israel and Palestine, Iran and Iraq, Saudi Arabia and Egypt) enhances student comprehension of comparison and context, and ensures that students repeatedly re-encounter key issues from a variety of perspectives. Concise summaries introduce each chapter. A new concluding chapter by Shibley Telhami candidly addresses fundamental questions about the United States and the Middle East today in question-and-answer format.Student resources include a Select Bibliography by William Cleveland, a Glossary, a Brief Biographical Register, and a Chronology, in addition to numerous maps.

336 pages, Paperback

First published December 27, 2005

Reviews

[Sam Norton]

Interesting ideas. Nothing particularly new though. I have some problems with Westview though. Their books on Middle Eastern politics contain valuable information presented in a well-structured, organized manner that is easily accessible for anyone wanting to learn about the internal dynamics of a particular country. However, the writing (stylistically and grammatically) is like that of, say, a slightly-above-average high school student. I've found this to be the case across the board for the Westview Middle Eastern books I've read thus far. It's pretty frustrating. Other than that, good information, and worth the read.

[Ke · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great selection of articles.