Customer Reviews

The Complete Idiot's Guide to Middle East Conflict, 4th Edition

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(0)
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2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

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.

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.

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.

Perfect for the subject. Well structured, accurate and informative. The only flaw I can see is that there seems not enough maps for better understanding on the area concerned.

I teach Political Science at a college and was looking for a simple book to help students understand the region. If you are pro-Israel and do not want to read the Arab view point buy this book. Never mentions the attack on the USS Liberty in 1967 during the 6 day war, offers faint praise for Sadat and lacks fairness for the Palestinian people. The history section uses the Bible which is a religious book not a history book. Covers Sadat's death in a short paragraph and makes him out to be a bad guy at times. I like to challenge my students and this book doesn't make you think.

This book is really very biased and pro-israeli, to get a more balanced viewpoint I recommend for example "A history of the middle east" by Peter Mansfield.

Bard must have gotten a great laugh when he swindled the contract for this book from the "For Dummies" people. It's absolute garbage, refuting what every other Middl East expert has to say. Buy it for AIPAC's opinion, but not for the truth.