Two Hours That Shook the World: September 11, 2001: Causes and Consequences [Paperback]

Fred Halliday (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 6, 2002

Fred Halliday expands on the many social, cultural, religious, and political problems that have plagued the Middle East and Central Asia in the last half-century. He dispels the idea that the Muslim and non-Muslim worlds are poised for conflict. Halliday explains the cause and rise of Islamic fundamentalism, and how terror became an instrument of political and military conflict. Two Hours that Shook the World not only examines the causes of what happened, in an engaging and informative manner, but also provides a reasoned approach as to what the future may hold.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Middle East scholar Halliday (London Sch. of Economics; Islam and the Myth of Confrontation) would disagree with the popular press's depiction of the September 11 attack on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon as a monolith called Islam confronting another monolith called the West. Only the first and last essays in this nuanced collection were written after the attack. For the rest of the book, Halliday has cobbled together previous writings on the "West Asian crisis" (covering the crescent from Palestine to Pakistan), the many natures of terrorism, and the West's long history of "anti-Muslimism." These essays are richly illustrated with both historical and contemporary analogies that will appeal to an erudite reader. At first glance, some essays may appear unrelated to the September 11 attack, but in fact they help give the terrible events a kind of context. Informed readers will find this collection helpful. Marcia L. Sprules, Council on Foreign Relations Lib., New York
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Review

"plenty of good reportage here...worth reading" --Economist

"These essays are richly illustrated with both historical and contemporary analogies that...help give the terrible events a kind of context." --Library Journal

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Saqi Books; This Edition Published 2002 edition (January 6, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0863563821
• ISBN-13: 978-0863563829
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.3 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,553,369 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great Read for Intelligent Reader, April 6, 2002

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"juliefalcon2001" (Ohio) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Two Hours That Shook the World: September 11, 2001: Causes and Consequences (Paperback)

I was very impressed with this book and the information it presented. Halliday really takes a well-balanced approach, something we usually do not see. I said that it was for the intelligent reader because the words definitely do not jump off the page, and reading it takes more time than the typical 200-something page book. (It took me twice the amount of time as "Ambling through History.") It does not talk that much specifically about September 11, like I expected, but it gives interesting context. I was especially interested in the points he made about fundamentalism and modern Kuwait.
I would rate the sections where he takes a look at separate countries a "5." But there are times when it is just so "academic" in tone that even a reader who is up on current events has trouble understanding. For example, he goes into this description of globalism that is very general and pedantic.
All in all, I would recommend this book for someone who is thoughtful enough to read and digest the information. The one major criticism I had is that the title makes it seem as if it deals specifically with bin Laden and Al-Qaida, and it didn't discuss them specifically in too much depth.