CONTENTS

Preface to the Second Edition

Orthographic Note and Note for Specialists

1 Ancient Empires

2 The Dawn of Monotheism

3 From Christ to Christendom

4 Muhammad and the Dawn of Islam

5 The Golden Age of Islam

6 Manzikert, Crusaders, Mongols

7 The Ottoman Empire: the Story of an Islamic Superpower

8 The Fall of the Ottomans and the Birth of a New Middle East

9 The Creation of Israel and After …

10 Revolution and Resistance

11 A Clash of Civilizations? 9/11 and the Future of the Middle East

12 Casting Lead and Summer Rains

13 A Different Kind of Martyr?

A Selective Chronology of the Middle East

Acknowledgements