There was never much debate in the United States over why we're going to war against Iraq; administration rhetoric was always accepted at face value by critics and supporters alike. Still less were questions raised about why America is so deeply involved in the politics of the region. Most Americans probably aren't even aware of the depth of US ties to Middle Eastern dictators or the history of American interference in regional affairs.

This book, surveying US policy from 1948 to 1983, is the kind of reading we should all be doing to overcome these blind spots. As Stivers makes clear in a mere 125 pages of rigorously documented but concise history, American policy has frequently been dressed in the same rhetoric of nobility that our leaders are now using, but has always been motivated by the cold interests of power.

During the Cold War, American policymakers above all sought to maintain the status quo they inherited from their imperialist predecessors, what they called the "maintenance of the special political, military and economic interests comprising the Western position in the area". Doing so meant excluding external powers (the USSR) from the region, suppressing the growth of independent regional powers that might challenge American dominance (first Nasser's Egypt, then Khomeini's Iran), and maintaining access to oil "on reasonable terms".

Cheap oil was always what made the Middle East important to the US, because the continued operation of the global economic order would have been impossible without it. As Britain relinquished its power in the region, though, Western control over the region's resources came increasingly under nationalist attack by Middle Easterners who often looked to the Soviet Union for support in reducing US influence. Some American officials sought accommodation with these nationalist currents; others believed unbridled violence was a better option. But the goal of the nationalists - self-determination in political and economic affairs - was incompatible with America's desire to control the region's oil and its need for reliable allies who would guarantee that control. Thus even the most accommodationist administrations eventually turned to policies of repression and militarism to preserve their position in the region.

Though this study ends in the early Reagan administration, it's not hard to see that the US government's fundamental aims in the region have not changed: the US used Iraq to cripple Iranian power in the 1980s, then used the horrific sanctions to cripple Iraqi power in the 1990s, all while establishing permanent military positions in Saudi Arabia and the other Gulf states and continuing the flow of weapons and aid to those willing to obey its commands. The current administration, coming out of the tradition that sees violence as the most efficacious means of consolidating and expanding American power, will soon go to war for time-honored reasons: so that we can further control Middle Eastern oil, so that we can cement our position of hegemony in the region, and so that the inequities of the global economy can be protected.

I thought this book was great! The pictures of the objects are beautiful. Where a picture could not be obtained there is usually a detailed sketch of the object. The descriptions give not only insight into use of the archaological object but also surrounding information like similar objects and archeological context. Then the essays descibe the time period and unknown/debated issue of Egyptian Archeology. As a newbie to Egyptian Archaeology I found the book easy to read and felt that things were explained well.

This title, in two volumes, covers the vast sweep of Asia Minor's history, from Alexander to the height of the Byzantine Empire. The first volume concentrates on two major periods; the early part of the 3rd century BC when Celtic tribes settled throughout the interior, and the coming of the Romans and their colonisation of the eastern flank of their empire. Mr Mitchell has crafted an enormously readable history of the region. The detail is extraordinary but the prose never becomes turgid or obtuse. By examining the intertwined complexities of people's relations to the land and their Gods, Mr Mitchell has broken new ground and produced a book that is that most unusual of beasts, both readable and scholarly.

This splendid book, a collection of previously published essays by Richar Clogg, could serve as a primary source book for those of us who consider ourselves second or third order students of modern Greece. Clogg's work is of course first rate and extremely important. The main concern is intellectual history. There are articles on the millet system, the Megali Idea and its origins in Byzantium, the influence of French thought in pre-revolutionary intellectual life, the wonderful Adamantios Korais, anti-clericalism among Greeks, culture and nationalism, and a large number of other topics. It is amzing that no other Amazon(.com) customers have reviewed this extraordinary book. Rhigas is mentioned and discussed throughout, but there is no separate article devoted to him (but you can't expect everything, I guess). Clogg writes interesting, well organized articles. I believe that everyone who has an interest in Greece should have this book on his or her shelves.

Ancient China And Its Enemies: The Rise Of Nomadic Power In East Asian History by Nicola Di Cosmo (Senior Lecturer in Chinese History at the University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand) is a carefully researched and superbly presented history of the northern frontier of China from 900 to 1000 B.C., combining both Chinese historical texts and archaeological evidence. From the rise of pastoral nomadism in Eurasia, to the first contacts between horse-riding nomads and Chinese states, to a large-scale political shift in China from appeasement to military engagement, Ancient China And Its Enemies is a fascinating, detailed, scholarly, and very strongly recommended historical survey and analysis.

My son (age 10) chose this book to help him with a school project. I stayed up late that night reading it myself! Lots of interesting facts, a pull out map, a good index, and in a format that is appealing to a variety of ages. You can read it as if you are pretending to go on a trip to Egypt, or just as a collection of interesting pictures with captions. I highly recommend it.

DESCRIPTION:
"Between 1834 and 1837, Curzon visited Egypt, Syria, Albania and mount Athos, in order to examine and collect ancient manuscripts. A dozen years later, sitting among these books, he entertained his solitary evenings in an English country house by writing 'some account of the most curious of these MSS. and the places in which they were found, as well as some of the adventures which I encountered in the pursuit of my venerable game'. The result was a charming flow of reminiscence, the expression of an engaging personality. His account of Egypt under Mehemet Ali has distinct historical value; and, in chapter XVI, he describes, as an eye-witness, the shocking scene of confusion, panic and death which took place in the church of the Holy Sepulchre on the occasion when Ibrahim pasha was present at the Easter ceremony of the holy fire. In a pleasanter and lighter vein, Curzon relates with a certain quaint simplicity his odd experiences in remote monasteries." - From The Cambridge History of English and American Literature (1907-21), Vol. XIV.

CONTENTS:
Chapters I-VI Egypt in 1833
VII-VIII Natorn Lakes
IX The Convent of the Pulley
X Ruined Monastery at Thebes
XI The White Monastery
XII The Island of Piloe, &c.
XIII-XVI Jerusalem and the Monastery of St. Sabba
XVII-XXI The Monasteries of Meteora
XXII-XXVIII The Monasteries of Mount Athos

These volumes, written by a distinguished American Egyptologist, were first published in 1906 and 1907. In his introduction to this re-edition, Egyptologist Peter Piccione provides a short biography of the author as well as a historical account of the 5 tomes. Volume 1 discusses the First through the Seventeenth Dynasties; Volume 2, the Eighteenth Dynasty; Volume 3, the Nineteenth Dynasty; and Volume 4, the Twentieth through Twenty-Sixth Dynasties. Volume 5 contains supplementary bibliographies and indices for the previous volumes; Piccione has added a more recent bibliography that proves to be quite useful. Each book offers a description of texts along with comments on historicity and significance, before continuing onto easy-to-understand translations. Many of the texts included are never-before-seen passages, while others are quite popular: the Palermo Stone, Letter of Pepi II, Tale of Sinuhe, Tomb of Rekhmire, Capture of Kadesh, Papyrus Harris, Adoption Stela of Nitocris, and so on. This is the most complete, easy-to-consult translation of Egyptian historical texts ever available in the field of Egyptology. A highly recommended resource for students and scholars.

This is a wonderful, simple book about a young girl's visit to Israel with her family. Her parents give a bit of background on each point of interest. Short and to the point, I found it a great book for children 3-6 yrs. old.

I did not review any thing about it , i need to review all of it because i am from Oman and i need to know most things about oman .