To American observers, the Arab world often seems little more than a distant battleground characterized by religious zealotry and political chaos. ...
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Dec 10, 2011
Fahima
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كعادة الكتب الجميلة... كنتُ أقرأ هذا الكتاب على مهل كما لو كان ألفَ ليلةٍ وليلة. الفارق بينهما هو أن اللذة لم تكن خالصة، وما يخلفه الكتاب كلما أغلقته وتركته جانياً ليسَ شعور الخفة .. بل الألم والخيبة، وقليلٌ جداً من الأمل في بضع محطات منه.
أين يكمن الجمال فيه إذن؟ ولماذا النجمات الخمس ؟
الكتابُ ليس تاريخاً عن العرب، أو تحديداً ليسَ عن العرب كإثنيةٍ أو جماعةٍ ذات خصائص لغوية وثقافية معينة. بل عن الهوية العربية كما تكشلت خلال الحكم العثماني وتمايزت عنه لتؤلف - في ظروف الاستعمار - More...
أين يكمن الجمال فيه إذن؟ ولماذا النجمات الخمس ؟
الكتابُ ليس تاريخاً عن العرب، أو تحديداً ليسَ عن العرب كإثنيةٍ أو جماعةٍ ذات خصائص لغوية وثقافية معينة. بل عن الهوية العربية كما تكشلت خلال الحكم العثماني وتمايزت عنه لتؤلف - في ظروف الاستعمار - More...
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(8 people liked it)
Nov 04, 2011
Jan
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Provided that you want to understand the historical background for the current political situation in the Middle East and Arab world, this book is a very good choice. I have read it following the Arab spring, as it has provided me with very valuable background information and source of questions. There has been several uprisings in Egypt. What makes this one different? Excluding Libya, the countries where we have witnessed revelutions are poor, agriculture economies with a lïmited military backi
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Feb 15, 2010
Chris
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Starting with the Ottoman's in the 16th Century, Rogan provides a fascinating perspective on Arab history all the way through today's events. This is not an economic or religious history -- it's a political history of a people that prior to reading this book I did not understand very well. As I moved through the decades and the centuries, I found myself getting more and more excited about what Rogan had to say about events since WWII and especially since the 1960's, many events and people I re
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Dec 17, 2009
Erik
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It is pathetic, sad, and ultimately tragic that we've waited this long for a tome by a Westerner about the Arabs that dared to imagine history from their perspective, but then that's colonialism for you: the inability to comprehend the other side, to understand that what you're offering just may not be what they want. Chaotic as all the fighting and in-fighting in the Arab world may seem, this book clears all that up to where you understand the why behind every bomb exploded. You may not agree w
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(5 people liked it)
Aug 09, 2011
Jonathan
rated it: 
A biased, selective, and misleading history of the middle east conflict. He paints the Arab people as almost entirely victims of western domination and leaves them with hardly any responsibility for their own failings. One of the longest sections in the book dealt with the Israeli-Arab conflict omits the following enormously important facts:
1. While Rogan slams Israel for the "eviction" of Palestinians in 1948 (which in reality was Arab governments telling all Palestini More...
1. While Rogan slams Israel for the "eviction" of Palestinians in 1948 (which in reality was Arab governments telling all Palestini More...
Aug 23, 2011
Chris
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This book is one of the most scholarly and well researched modern histories I have read. The principle fault was that the material was a bit disorganized, and while it is described as a history of the Arabs, it is the more recent history which is the main emphasis. Rogan is not kind to any of the parties and clearly has taken a truly objective view of the protagonists, as they appear to have spent most of their time either fighting or making up. The book is most up to date and shines real light
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Jul 10, 2010
James
rated it:
A fascinating overview of the last 500 odd years of Arab history.
This book attempts to concisely explain the background to the current situation in the middle east, it succeeds very well in doing so with much reference to Arabic sources.
I found it had a perfect balance the narrative and raw data which kept me reading (and absorbing) avidly throughout.
Each chapter had a summary that was useful without being patronising and I found them enormously helpful.
All in all the onl More...
This book attempts to concisely explain the background to the current situation in the middle east, it succeeds very well in doing so with much reference to Arabic sources.
I found it had a perfect balance the narrative and raw data which kept me reading (and absorbing) avidly throughout.
Each chapter had a summary that was useful without being patronising and I found them enormously helpful.
All in all the onl More...
Jul 19, 2010
Khalid
rated it:
This book reviews the political history of Arab lands since 1517, the year the Ottoman Empire conquered the Mamluks in Egypt, through the 9/11 attacks to current political events in the Arab world. Bob enjoyed how the author inserted the biographies of prominent Arabs into historical events. Rogan provides the most detailed and extensive accounts of the Arab history of the past four hundred years and explains the problems but does not provide answers or solutions.
Nov 08, 2010
Matthew
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There is so much to absorb in Eugene Rogan's historical account of The Arabs that I would certainly need to read it several more times before feeling like I could do a proper review. Throughout the 500 pages of this book, Rogan does a masterful job of bringing forth the people and events that shaped the Arab world. Just as in any account of history, the leading themes are war, imperialism, the quest for power, religious conflict, brutality, and oppression. While it would be easy to turn away
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Aug 03, 2011
OK - one thing that I have learned - there´s much more to history than the European version and we really like to forget that. This one was an eye-opener for me and it brought lots of details that I had never heard about or knew only half of. It doesn´t solve anything but it certainly gives you a new insight.
Jan 03, 2010
Avmacdoug
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Excellent, accessible history of the Arab people from pre-Ottomon conquest days through the invasion of Iraq by GWB. Helps illuminate the history driving the complexities of inter-state relations in the middle east as well as arab-israli relations. I found it most helpful, from a modern day perspective, in understanding Egypt, Syria and Lebanon.
Sep 02, 2011
Virginprune
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extremely timely and instantly out of date, this is a great book to read right now. very digestible, with plenty of enjoyable or eye-opening detail, generally avoiding the trap of painting a view too thickly or colouring a character too uniformly (OK, Saddam Hussein was not likely to get a sympathetic write-up, even in a book that comes from the Arab perspective)
my only criticism is that, although 500 pages thick, with notes adding another 50, the book actually comes over as too thin - the More...
my only criticism is that, although 500 pages thick, with notes adding another 50, the book actually comes over as too thin - the More...
Nov 27, 2011
Paul
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Erg boeiende beschrijving van de geschiedenis van de Arabische wereld (van Marokko tot Iraq & van 1500-2009) veelal citerend uit Arabisch bronnenmateriaal. Zeer leesbaar doorspekt met boeiende anecdotes & citaten. Leest zoals een universiteitscursus over dit onderwerp zou moeten zijn.
Mar 24, 2011
Nathan
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An extensive history of the Arab people starting under Turkish rule and reaching to the election of Barack Obama - it's also quite depressing. I thoroughly appreciated its scope. It can be a bit dry because it lacks a lot of personal narrative. Rogan signs off with a vaguely hopeful message, but it's hard to fault him after this depressing catalog of cyclical subjugation, manipulation, and atrocity in Arab lands. It's difficult to find figures with moral authority to move forward and beyond past
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Nov 26, 2010
Cynthia
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A very readable history of the Arabs from the Ottoman empire to present day. Although the British and French empire sections were a little slower, I raced through the first and last one hundred pages. Made me re-evaluate some of the facts I thought I was sure of.
Dec 03, 2011
Jesse
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An entertaining narrative, but with lots of omissions and strange decisions. Very much a "palace history" focused on political machinations rather than average Arab lives. Overall, an okay outline of the topic that leaves much to be desired.
Aug 14, 2011
Ziad
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Written just before the "Arab Awakening" of 2011, this book nevertheless puts all of today's events in context. The history of the Arabs is one of disappointment, heartbreak, tragedy and blood with a few isolated glimmers of hope and progress
Aug 11, 2011
Ken
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A compelling read, but really should be titled "The Arabs: A history about people who occupied them". I know the perspectives of the Ottoman and Westerners in the Middle East. I wanted to read more on the Arabs.
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Jan 27, 2012
Phil
rated it:
Efficient summary of relevant Middle Eastern history which is more useful than Hourani's more famous book. Rogan uses Arab sources almost exclusively and this helps this book greatly.
Dec 06, 2011
Lauren
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Excellent history of the Middle East! Rogan isn't an historian...he's a storyteller. I never once felt like I was digging through facts to get to important concepts. Rogan's points of view come up organically after personal histories make seamless transitions into the facts. There's also SO MUCH information about so many parts of the region, yet it doesn't feel overwhelming. Everything fits into its place nicely and it's really a wonderful read. Definitely recommend it.
Sep 18, 2011
Katie
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Overwhelming book. Perfect for understanding an overview of exactly what the book's title says... a history of the arabs. Reads a little too much like a classroom textbook but given the content, it would be hard to do otherwise. I found that the book helped me make sense of arab sentiment towards the western world and gave me a new appreciation for current world events.
Mar 21, 2011
Irene
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Very interesting and also sad. What a mess the Europeans and the Americans have made of the Arab world...
Feb 12, 2012
Feb 11, 2012
Feb 09, 2012
