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Index
Title
Contents
Introduction
About This Book
Conventions Used in This Book
Foolish Assumptions
How This Book Is Organized
Icons Used in This Book
Where to Go from Here
Part I : Getting Acquainted with the Middle East
Chapter 1: The Middle East’s Relevance in the 21st Century
Making Sense of It All
Navigating Through the Book
Chapter 2: Charting a Map
Getting Acquainted with the Region
Identifying the Countries, the Land, and the Climate
Chapter 3: Middle Eastern Hospitality
Meeting the People
Welcoming You into Their Homes
Trying the Cuisine
Part II : The History of the Middle East
Chapter 4: The Ancient Middle East
The Land Formerly Known as Mesopotamia (Iraq)
The Promised Land (Kings, Gods, and Prophets)
Egypt (Pharaohs, Gods, and Pyramids)
Iran
Anatolia (Turkey)
Chapter 5: The Medieval Middle East
Islam’s Birth and Adolescence
A Series of Crusades: Business as Usual
Uninvited Guests: The Mongols
Succeeding the Mongols: The Ilkhanids and Timurids
Unifying and Conquering: The Ottomans
Converting Safavids to Shiism
Chapter 6: The Modern Middle East
A Love-Hate Relationship: The West in the Middle East
Clashing Ideologies: Zionism, Arab Nationalism, and the Islamic Revivalism
Putting the “Saudi” in Saudi Arabia
Establishing the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan
Carving Israel from Palestine
Coming of Age: Egypt Grows Up
The Shah(s) of Iran
Talking Turkey
Claiming the Prize: Lebanon and Syria
Part III : Politics, Islam, and Oil: Three Reasons Not to Ignore the Middle East
Chapter 7: Leadership: Kings, Presidents, and Dictators
Monarchy: Failures and Triumphs
Democracy: Failures and Triumphs
Theocracy: Failures and Triumphs
Socialism
Communism
Disputed Areas
Chapter 8: Islamic Militancy in a Nutshell
The Holy Warrior: Terrorist or Freedom Fighter?
Jihad: Holy War or Struggle?
Manipulating Madrasas: When Schools Teach Islamic Militancy
Chapter 9: Islam and the West
The Clash of Civilizations
The Clash of Values
Remaining Aware of Uneasy Friendships and Mutual Distrust
Deciphering the Contradiction: Western Culture and Technology
Chapter 10: It’s All About the Oil: Economics in the Middle East
Struggling to Compete
If It Runs, It Runs on Oil
Economic Failures
Linking Economics to Politics
Part IV : Regions in Turmoil
Chapter 11: The Powder Keg: Israel and Palestine
Keeping the Mapmakers Busy
Uncovering the Origins of Militancy
Firefighting with a Blowtorch: The Third Arab-Israeli War
Adding More Fuel to the Fire: The Israeli Settlements
Sending International “Firefighters” to the Rescue: The Fourth Arab-Israeli War
Fanning the Flames in Lebanon
Lighting the Fuses: The First Intifada
Trying to Stomp Out the Fuses: Ehud Barak
Burning Still: The Cycle of Violence Continues
Approaching the Fire with a Cool Head
Chapter 12: Iraq
Weathering Iraq’s Stormy Romance with the West
Saddam Hussein: A Killer Statesman
Chapter 13: Afghanistan
Setting the Stage for the Soviet Invasion
Fraternizing with the Soviets
New Kids on the Block: The Taliban and Al-Qaeda
Waging War on Terrorism: The United States Strikes Back
Chapter 14: Pakistan
Partitioning India
Drawing a Blueprint for a Nuke
Helping the United States Fight the War on Terrorism
Part V : Regions in Repair
Chapter 15: North Africa
Algeria
A Rebounding Egypt
Libya: Trouble on the Shores of Tripoli
The Sudan: A Land of Civil War and Famine
Chapter 16: Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria
Juggling Diplomacy: How Current Politics Took Their Shape
Lebanon
Syria
Chapter 17: The Arabian Peninsula
Saudi Arabia
Yemen
Chapter 18: Non-Arab Muslim States
Iran
Somalia
Turkey: Politicians, Generals, and Kurds
Part VI : Cultural Contributions of the Middle East
Chapter 19: A Mosaic of Religions
Judaism
Christianity
Islam
Chapter 20: Religions on the Edge
Religious Minorities
Mysticism
Chapter 21: The Family: The Hub of Middle Eastern Life
Family Dynamics: Love, Honor, and Responsibility
The Lives of Women: Separation and Modesty
Chapter 22: Language and Literature
Language, Ethnicity, and Tradition: You Are What You Speak
A Little Background on the Literature of the Middle East
Ancient Literature
Medieval Literature
Modern Literature
Chapter 23: Arts and Sciences
Science and Philosophy: A Middle East Contribution
The Arts and Beyond
Part VII : The Part of Tens
Chapter 24: Ten Key Ethnic Groups
Arab
Armenians
Ashkenazim
Bedouin
Berbers
Kurds
Pashtuns
Persians
Sephardim/Oriental Jews
Turks
Chapter 25: Ten Key Militant Groups
Al-Qaeda (International)
Hezbollah (Lebanon)
Kach and Kahane Chai (Israel)
Armed Islamic Group (Algeria)
Al-Gamaat al-Islamiyya (Egypt)
Islamic Jihads (Palestine and Egypt)
Hamas (Palestine)
Harakat al-Mujahidin (Pakistan and Kashmir)
Jaish-i Muhammad (Pakistan and Kashmir)
Kurdistan Workers Party (Turkey)
Chapter 26: Ten Key Challenges
Assigning the Blame
Coming into the Nuclear Age
Economic Development and Poverty
Ethnic and Religious Pluralism
Gender Inequity
Islamic Extremism
Military Spending
Overcoming the Colonial Legacy
Unequal Distribution of Wealth
Western-Style Democracy
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