Will our democracy be defined by dominance? Or by the higher values we constantly espouse? This is the central question facing us in the wake of 9/11, and Stephen Zunes shows the prospects are not promising.
Book Description
Editorial Reviews
From the Publisher
Stephen Zunes is an associate professor of Politics and chair of the Peace & Justice Studies Program at the University of San Francisco. He lives in Santa Cruz.
From the Author
In the aftermath of 9/11, it was apparent that there were large numbers of people who wanted a readable overview of the recent history of the U.S. role in the Middle East and current U.S. policies, a study that would critically challenge certain aspects of the U.S. role in the region but would not simply be a left-wing polemic. I wrote Tinderbox in the hope that--in addition to raising some of the important ethical and legal question regarding U.S. policy--it would primarily address how current U.S. policy actually threatens U.S. security. In covering such areas as human rights, the arms trade, U.S. military intervention, terrorism, Islamic movements, Iraq, Iran, the Arabian peninsula, Israel and Palestine, Afghanistan and related concerns, Tinderbox encourages readers to recognize that it has not been American values of freedom, democracy and rule of law that has created such an anti-American backlash in the Middle East, but the fact that U.S. policy has ignored these values through support for dictatorships and occupation armies and other violations of international law. In noting how increased U.S. militarization of the region has actually made us less secure, I conclude the book with proposed alternative policies that would create a more peaceful and stable Middle East and enhance American security in these dangerous times.
--Stephen Zunes
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
24 of 24 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
a must-read book!,
By
This review is from: Tinderbox: U.S. Foreign Policy and the Roots of Terrorism (Paperback)
Even though this book is emotionally painful to read, I feel it is a must-read book for all Americans who want to understand what our government has been doing -- and continues to do -- in the Middle East (and other parts of the world) in our name and with our tax dollars. It is a clear, concise, well-documented (30 pages of endnotes) and convincing exposition of U.S. foreign policy, particularly vis-a-vis the Middle East. It is not a difficult read at all. I think anyone of third-year high school (and certainly college) age or older would do fine with this book. You don't need a whole lot of background knowledge on the subject in order to understand what Zunes writes. If you want to know "why they hate us" (although Zunes points out that most people abroad don't hate Americans per se; they hate the policies of our government), this is the book to read. I highly recommend it.
14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Tinderbox Brings Us Up-to-date on Current Crises,
By John E. Kimber (Seaside, CA United States) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Tinderbox: U.S. Foreign Policy and the Roots of Terrorism (Paperback)
Tinderbox is the first book I know of that successfully integrates all aspects of today's Middle East problems: U.S. foreign policy, Iraq, Israel-Palestine, and Islamic terrorism. And Stephen Zunes does the job superbly. His new book is at the same time a readable journalistic effort--a page turner--as well as a scholarly political science and history work. This is combined journalism, political science, and history writing at its best. This is truly a landmark book on US-Middle East relations.An important feature of this book is that most of its chapters are self-contained in the sense that they can be profitably read separately, like a handbook, without reading the whole book. For example, you can go to the chapter on The Israeli-Palestinian Conflict and get an excellent 65-page up-to-date analysis of that subject.
13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Timely,
By
This review is from: Tinderbox: U.S. Foreign Policy and the Roots of Terrorism (Paperback)
The news and history as read in detail and at a distance from mainstream, from someone who follows the news carefully and meticulously. What is the character of the world's only superpower? How does it relate to others? How does its actions influence behavior of other nations in the Middle East? How is it viewed by the United Nations' members? A perspective to bring light on these traumatic and dangerous times. Should be required reading for any college history student and anyone wishing to understand the trends in the news.
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