The State of the Middle East, Revised and Updated: An Atlas of Conflict and Resolution

by Dan Smith

As Western powers attempt to redraw the map of the Middle East, Dan Smith uses his forensic skills to unravel this arena of confrontation and instability, from the Ottoman Empire to the present day. With customarily acute analysis, he highlights key issues and maps their global implications to explain why this region has become, and will remain, the focal point for international relations.

Updated Topics

* Demographic data

* The Israel-Palestine situation

* The current war in Iraq

* The situation in Lebanon

* Refugees and migration

* Islam in the world

Myriad Editions

Genres: Nonfiction, Middle East, Politics, History

152 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2006

Reviews

[ConnaCarol · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. Solid overview that's now a bit outdated. Good breakdown by country and by military, economic, and education data.

[Marcie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Concise summaries that made logical connections between events that I had not made on my own (a-ha! moments). It assumes a general familiarity with the conflicts and political players, since the summaries are brief and short of detail. It is more about connections and patterns, with data to back up arguments.
Great graphics, maps, and charts to make comparisons and illustrate concepts. Just a few hours, and I have a deeper understanding of the Middle East. (I know - there's an ocean's depth of complexity, but this will at least get you below the surface of day to day news.)
The author is British, which made me realize how American many of my perceptions of events are (I know - I shouldn't be surprised). That in itself made it an interesting read.

[Sophie · Rating 3 out of 5]

A neat reference for anyone interested in the Middle East. I think there's a lot of good information and a lot of diagrams that in some ways explain better than a traditional textbook. On the other hand, if you're looking for a comprehensive history or more than a cursory overview, this isn't the best book for it. I found some of the text to be overly brief, just because it tries to cover so much history in so few pages. (It says 140 pages, but at least half of almost every page is diagrams, maps, and charts.)

[Tara L. Campbell · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is not a comprehensive review of the region by any means, however, it is a very good place to start for immediate, general understanding. Something so complex as the people and places of the Middle East takes years of study, but with this book, the every day reader gets an easy introduction to the history, culture, economics, and government of the individual countries.

[Tracey Cruickshank · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow. I learned so much from this easy to read and understand book. I seriously could not wait to read it everyday which I did first thing every morning while having coffee on the front deck. It was a part of this summer I won't forget.

[Rummanah (Books in the Spotlight) · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

Though the book needs an update regarding the current state of the Middle East, it works pretty well as a "big picture" snapshot of the region. The first two sections of the book, history of the region and arenas of conflict, are the strongest. The maps and timelines are nicely laid out and easy to read.