The Complete Idiot's Guide to Middle East Conflict, 4th Edition [Mass Market Paperback]

Mitchell G. Bard (Author)

Book Description

Series: The Complete Idiot's Guide | Publication Date: September 2, 2008

Fully updated fourth edition.

The Middle East is perhaps the most tumultuous area on earth, with ancient battles still being fought. This updated guide offers an intense look? through the lens of present-day knowledge?at current events and the everchanging political and social landscape, as well as the region?s history. And it addresses:

?The re-arming of Hezbollah
?Iran?s increased threat of acquiring nuclear weapons
?The odds of Palestinian unity in peace talks
?The evacuation from Gaza

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Mitchell G. Bard, Ph.D., is one of the country’s foremost experts on U.S.-Middle East policy and the author of 14 books, including The Complete Idiot’s Guide to World War II. Dr. Bard has appeared on Fox News, MSNBC, and other television and radio outlets. His work has been published in academic journals, magazines, and newspapers.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 18 and up
  
• Mass Market Paperback: 496 pages
• Publisher: Alpha; 4 edition (September 2, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1592577911
• ISBN-13: 978-1592577910
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 7.4 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #149,701 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Mitchell Bard is the Executive Director of the nonprofit American-Israeli Cooperative Enterprise (AICE) and a foreign policy analyst who lectures frequently on U.S.-Middle East policy. Dr. Bard is also the director of the Jewish Virtual Library, the world's most comprehensive online encyclopedia of Jewish history and culture. Dr. Bard's work has appeared in academic journals, magazines and major newspapers. He is the author of 19 books, including The Arab Lobby, Myths & Facts: Guide to the Arab-Israeli Conflict, 1001 Facts Everyone Should Know About Israel (with Moshe Schwartz), The Water's Edge And Beyond: Defining the Limits to Domestic Influence on U.S. Middle East Policy, Forgotten Victims: The Abandonment of Americans in Hitler's Camps, The Complete Idiot's Guide to World War II, The Complete Idiot's Guide to Middle East Conflict, The Complete History of the Holocaust, and The Nuremberg Trials. Dr. Bard holds a Ph.D. in political science from UCLA and a master's degree in public policy from Berkeley. He received his B.A. in economics from the University of California at Santa Barbara.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars This Book is More of a Guide to Arab-Israeli Conflict, February 9, 2010

By 

K. Herr (TN) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Complete Idiot's Guide to Middle East Conflict, 4th Edition (Mass Market Paperback)

This book provides a good chronological guide to events related to the Arab-Israeli Conflict. The book has accurate information about dates with relevant summaries of important events such as the Balfour Declaration and the Camp David Accords.

The author seems to take a decidedly pro-Israeli stance towards most issues, often criticizing Arab leaders and western governments for being unfair to the Israelis and too pro-Arab. The book is littered with sidebars that represent the author's opinion which are often grossly inaccurate and clearly present a biased opinion.

Overall the book provides a good pro-Israeli viewpoint to the Arab Israeli conflict.
However, the book does not address any other source of conflict in the Middle East in any measure of detail. The author omits many prominent disputes that are paramount to a study of Middle East Conflict such as the rise of the House of Saud, the overthrow of the Shah, and the Iran-Iraq War to name a few.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent, comprehensive overview, November 15, 2011

By 

D. Bratslavsky (Cincinnati, Ohio) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Complete Idiot's Guide to Middle East Conflict, 4th Edition (Mass Market Paperback)

If you want to know what the Middle East Conflict is about--origins, history, politics--without having to read tomes and tomes of history books, get this book. It will give you all the necessary information in an easy to comprehend, objective format. It notes both convenient and inconvenient facts about all sides of the conflict. It sets the context necessary for readers to decide for themselves how to interpret events happening today in the Middle East. I recommend this for personal reading or classroom material.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars most important primer of complex Middle East, April 1, 2011

By 

Isaac Barr "Historian" (Bloomfield, Michigan) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Complete Idiot's Guide to Middle East Conflict, 4th Edition (Mass Market Paperback)

Given that all narratives of the Middle East Conflict are politically motivated comes this book and adheres to an accurate, factual, fair, balanced, responsible text. Sure, pro Palestinian and pro Israel may find events to the interpretation of which they may or may not agree, but among the 50 plus books on the Conflict that I reviewed, I find that if there is bias the bias is mild, one way at one time and one way at another. It gives nicely the historical chronology without dwelling into philosophies and religion that may create endless discussions. The text is lucid in the tradition of "idiots guide", it is the most up to date book on the subject around. I checked events such as Suez Crisis and found a very short lucid review of a complex international crisis. The book does not "blame", it lets the reader make the dicision. I highly recommend this book as the best introduction to 3000 years of conflict.