Customer Reviews

Mauritania (Modern Middle East Nations and Their Strategic Place in the World)

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As another reviewer already said it is out of date. Now even more, as there was another coup and another non-democratic government since. Books about african countries after 6 years are of little use. However what shocks me more is calling Mauritania the Middle East. Maybe some obscure clasifications does clasify it like that, but the normal meaning of "Middle East" does not. So it looks like a mistake on the cover. Not the best advertisment.
But... this book is really one of the very few about Mauritania. If get the current situation from the Internet and are Interested in a more detailed history up to the early 2000s, this book will give it to you. With few alternatives and a low price, it's quite a good buy.

This book is sorely out of date!
The chapter on Politics, Religion and the Economy begins by saying "The government may call itself a democracy....." which will throw off the uninformed reader. In 2007, Mauritania successfully transitioned to a fully operational democracy (so certified by the international community) headed by its president Sidi Mohamed Ould Cheikh Abdallahi.
Many very positive changes are occurring in the country - which are not reflected in this dated version. Though copywrite in 2004, it appears to have been written in 1974. If you are looking for current information on Mauritania - this is not the book you want.