Abraham: A Journey to the Heart of Three Faiths by Bruce Feiler.
Feiler returns to the Middle East on a personal quest to better understand Abraham, the common ancestor of Christians, Jews, and Muslims. This travelogue, mixed with theological meditations, shows how the three religions' differing interpretations of Abraham have sparked interfaith disagreements for years. RC 54940.
Afghanistan: A Short History of Its People and Politics by Sir Martin Ewans.
Former British diplomat provides an overview of the ancient and modern history of the troubled Central Asian country. Discusses Afghanistan's conflicting tribal traditions, the absence of a central government, and its centuries of warfare and foreign occupation.RC 54261, BR 14068.
The Arabs: Journeys beyond the Mirage by David Lamb.
Revised edition of the 1987 bestselling study of Arab religion, culture, and politics, by a veteran Middle East correspondent. Analyzes the developments in the 1980s and 1990s that produced a "collision of cultures" and situates the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, in a world historical context. RC 54593.
Bush at War by Bob Woodward.
Reconstructs the inner workings of the White House following the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. Draws on interviews with the principal power brokers, specifically George W. Bush, Dick Cheney, Colin Powell, and Donald Rumsfeld, to recreate the processes by which decisions were reached to bomb Afghanistan and confront Iraq. Some strong language. RC 55015, BR 14429.
Empires of the Sand: The Struggle for Mastery in the Middle East by Efraim Karsh.
Two Middle Eastern historians reexamine nineteenth century politics of the area to refute the popular "clash of civilizations" interpretation. Instead, they perceive a pattern of pragmatic cooperation and conflict between the Middle East and the West. To substantiate their claims, they cite examples of rulers using European powers. RC 51573.
Fear Less: Real Truth about Risk, Safety, and Security in a Time of Terrorism by Gavin Becker.
The author guides readers to "a true, informed feeling of safety that comes from understanding violence, risk, intuition, [and] fear" during a period of threatened national security. Describes terrorist plots foiled by the United States government. Discusses air travel and the prospect of biological warfare. RC 54356.
God Has Ninety-Nine Names: Reporting from a Militant Middle East by Judith Miller.
An American journalist profiles the rise of Islamic militancy and government responses in ten countries of northern Africa and the Middle East. Based primarily on eye witness accounts and interviews with government officials, dissident leaders, and factional rivals. Violence and some strong language. RC 44542.
The Greatest Threat: Iraq, Weapons of Mass Destruction, and the Crisis of Global Security by Richard Butler.
Former director of a United Nations commission established after the Gulf War to prevent Iraq from creating arsenals of mass destruction argues that nuclear, biological, and chemical weapons threaten civilization. Butler also details the commission's failed efforts to stop Saddam Hussein's military development. RC 52515.
A History of the Arab Peoples by Albert Habib Hourani.
Hourani, a well known scholar, has limited his scope to the Arabic speaking parts of the Islamic world. The book is divided into five parts, beginning with the seventh century and ending with the Cold War. Hourani outlines the development of Arab society and culture, traces the paths of Muslim religious sects, and provides a political history of the ruling dynasties in many Arab countries. RC 32038.
Holy War, Inc.: Inside the Secret World of Osama bin Laden by Peter Bergen.
A journalist for CNN who interviewed Osama bin Laden in Afghanistan in 1997 investigates al-Qaeda, the Islamic terrorist organization. Describes its objectives, its past crimes including the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, and its worldwide reach. Traces bin Laden's past and his relationship to the Taliban. RC 53623, BR 14070.
Jihad: The Trail of Political Islam by Gilles Kepel.
Professor of Middle East Studies from France theorizes that the 2001 attack on the World Trade Center in New York was a consequence of the failure of Islamic fundamentalism to achieve its goals over the past forty years. Analyzes Islamism in Egypt, Algeria, Sudan, Bosnia, and elsewhere. RC 54538.
The Middle East: A Brief History of the Last 2,000 Years by Bernard Lewis.
A perspective on historical transformations of the Middle East over twenty centuries. Chronicles the cultural and economic influences of Christianity, Islam, and other forces, as well as the rapid and enforced changes from modern Western technology. RC 44743.
Reaping the Whirlwind: The Taliban Movement in Afghanistan by Michael Griffin.
Analyzes the nature of politics and tribal rivalries in Afghanistan when the Soviet Union retreated in 1989 and the Muslim fundamentalists assumed power. Summarizes the rise of the Taliban rulers through the 2000 bombing of the USS Cole in Yemen. Discusses American failure to recognize the threat of Osama bin Ladin's network. RC 52901.
The Reckoning: Iraq and the Legacy of Saddam Hussein by Sandra Mackey.
Journalist describes Iraq's evolution into an authoritarian regime under Saddam Hussein. Discusses the country's earlier history as a crossroads between East and West, its emergence as a state following World War I, Saddam's rise to power, the Iran-Iraq War, the Gulf War, and the foreign policy dilemma Iraq represents to the United States. RC 54695.
Saddam Hussein: A Political Biography by Efraim Karsh.
Hussein's troubled childhood taught him the cruel laws of survival; as a despot, he rivals Hitler. This book covers his entry into politics at twenty, his ascent to the Presidential Palace in 1979, and his invasions of Iran and Kuwait. RC 34558.
Sandcastles: The Arabs in Search of the Modern World by Milton Viorst.
Viorst examines the history, politics, and culture of the Arab countries of Iraq, Turkey, Egypt, Syria, Lebanon, Kuwait, and Jordan, as well as the Palestinians. He talked with officials and citizens and emphasizes the Gulf War and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. He also comments on the Arab mood after the 1993 peace agreement. RC 38709.
See No Evil: The True Story of a Ground Soldier in the CIA’s War on Terrorism by Robert Baer.
Memoir of a former CIA operative recounting his adventures in the Middle East including an attempt to incite rebellion against Saddam Hussein in the 1990s. Discusses the agency's covert operations and excess bureaucracy and examines the roots of terrorism. Some strong language. RC 53770.
Taliban: Militant Islam, Oil, and Fundamentalism in Central Asia by Ahmed Rashid.
Journalist with twenty years' experience covering Afghanistan discusses the origin and rise of the Taliban and its fundamentalist concepts of Islam regarding gender and drugs. Explains the importance of Afghanistan's energy resources for the region and the country's problems with smuggling, civil war, and lack of social services. RC 52899, BR 13624.
Terrorism by Ann Gaines.
Focuses on terrorism in the Middle East and how it affects the United States. Discusses the origins and motivations of the organizations and individuals involved. Explores how America can combat violence without impinging on traditional freedoms. RC 53034.
The Threatening Storm: The Case for Invading Iraq by Kenneth Pollack.
A Persian Gulf expert, formerly a CIA and National Security Council analyst, argues that the United States should invade Iraq, destroy Iraqi weapons of mass destruction, oust Saddam Hussein, and establish a new government. Examines two decades of United States-Iraqi relations, Iraq's arsenal, terrorism, and policy options. RC 54856.
Unholy Wars: Afghanistan, America, and International Terrorism by John Cooley.
A veteran journalist's account of the unforeseen consequences of the United States' alliances with radical Islamist movements in the 1980s during efforts to contain Soviet expansion. Explains how Muslim guerrillas trained by the CIA to resist the 1979 Soviet invasion of Afghanistan reemerged as violent anti-Western factions following the Russian withdrawal. RC 53133.
What Went Wrong? Western Impact and Middle Eastern Response by Bernard Lewis.
A concise study of the rise and decline of the Islamic world and its reaction to Western cultural dominance between the eighteenth and twentieth centuries. Discusses Muslim disposition to govern by religious law, rel