A World of Trouble: The White House and the Middle East--from the Cold War to the War on Terror [Hardcover]

Patrick Tyler (Author)

Book Description

Release date: December 23, 2008

The White House and the Middle East—from the Cold War to the War on Terror

The Middle East is the beginning and the end of U.S. foreign policy: events there influence our alliances, make or break presidencies, govern the price of oil, and draw us into war. But it was not always so—and as Patrick Tyler shows in this thrilling chronicle of American misadventures in the region, the story of American presidents’ dealings there is one of mixed motives, skulduggery, deceit, and outright foolishness, as well as of policymaking and diplomacy.

Tyler draws on newly opened presidential archives to dramatize the approach to the Middle East across U.S. presidencies from Eisenhower to George W. Bush. He takes us into the Oval Office and shows how our leaders made momentous decisions; at the same time, the sweep of this narrative—from the Suez crisis to the Iran hostage crisis to George W. Bush’s catastrophe in Iraq—lets us see the big picture as never before. Tyler tells a story of presidents being drawn into the affairs of the region against their will, being kept in the dark by local potentates, being led astray by grasping subordinates, and making decisions about the internal affairs of countries they hardly understand. Above all, he shows how each president has managed to undo the policies of his predecessor, often fomenting both anger against America on the streets of the region and confusion at home.

A World of Trouble is the Middle East book we need now: compulsively readable, free of cant and ideology, and rich in insight about the very human challenges a new president will face as he or she tries to restore America’s standing in the region.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In this epic, remarkably readable history of U.S. involvement in the Middle East from Eisenhower to Bush II, Washington Post reporter Tyler uses an up-close, journalistic style to depict the power struggles and compromises that have defined the past half-century. Tyler focuses on key turning points in U.S.–Middle East relations and documents the conversations and real-time decision-making processes of the presidents, cabinet members and other key figures. Readers are treated to an intimate view of Eisenhower's careful, steady diplomacy during the Suez crisis, Kissinger's egocentric and fateful decision to fully arm Israel in the October war of 1973 while Nixon struggled through the Watergate scandal, and the tangled web of communication and intentional deceit during the Reagan administration that led to the Iran-Contra scandal. Tyler makes the issues and relationships clear without resorting to oversimplification or ideological grandstanding, and his journalistic instincts steer him toward direct quotation and telling anecdotes rather than generalization. Readers in the market for an examination of how leadership has embroiled the U.S. in the Middle East are well-advised to consult this riveting text. (Jan.)
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Review

"An authoritative, richly detailed account of American policy in the Middle East . . . [Tyler] writes vividly, allowing the reader access to White House meetings, huddles in the corridors of power, seats at international summits."—Adam LeBor, The New York Times

"Patrick Tyler . . . has written an engaging but idiosyncratic account of U.S. interactions with the Middle East from 1956 onward."—Steven Simon, The Washington Post

"Tyler documents not the interest of Israel but the cost in treasure and blood that the United States and the Middle East peoples have paid during decades without a coherent US policy in the region. He shows vividly the damage done by Israeli and Arab leaders alike in persistently bringing too little, too late, to the peace process."—Charles A. Radin, The Boston Globe

"Tyler is forthright in a way American journalists usually are not. . . . [A World of Trouble]  completes a formidable charge sheet against the occupants of the White House over the last half century which is, in its page-by-page human detail, as gripping as it is depressing."—Martin Woollacott, The Guardian (UK)

"Rich in irony and incident, Patrick Tyler's history of the White House and the Middle East would make instructive reading for the latest occupant of the Oval Office. . . . A lucid and even-handed introduction to a deeply contentious subject."—Dominic Sandbrook, The Sunday Times (UK)

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 640 pages
• Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux; First Edition edition (December 23, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0374292892
• ISBN-13: 978-0374292898
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.4 x 2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,007,713 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Patrick Tyler was born in 1951 in St. Louis, Missouri, but grew up in Texas where he attended Ross Sterling High School in Baytown, and attended the University of Texas at Austin for one year (in Physics) before moving to South Carolina, where he graduated from the University of South Carolina in 1974 with a Bachelor's degree in Journalism. He edited two weekly newspapers in rural South Carolina (1974), before spending a year at The Charlotte (N.C.) News. In 1976, he joined The St. Petersburg Times. In 1978-79, he produced and hosted a PBS Network series, Congressional Outlook, and the next year joined The Washington Post, where he worked for 12 years covering defense, intelligence and national policy issues. From 1986-89 he was Middle East Bureau Chief for The Post. He resigned in 1990 to join The New York Times in Washington as military analyst, then resumed his career as a foreign correspondent based first in Beijing, then Moscow, Baghdad and London, from where he resigned in 2004. His books include a history of the nuclear attack submarine program under Admiral Hyman G. Rickover ("Running Critical," Harper & Row, 1986), a history of American relations with China ("A Great Wall," PublicAffairs, 1999) and a history of American presidents and the Middle East ("A World of Trouble," Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 2009). He lives in Washington, D.C. with his wife, Linda, an author and teacher. His home page is: www.patricktyler.org

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 26 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer January 14, 2009

By Howard Ball

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

As a 20 year Navy veteran, I've often stated "history repeats itself" and this book tells us why. Power, corruption, naive aspirations, incompetence, risk takers, spiritual quests, political ransom, blood letting, heroics, leadership, major accomplishments, scheming, and simple minded childish behavior it's all here. We call them Mr. President.
Highly recommended, make sure you have plenty of time off, you won't put this one down! This will probably change your opinion of our role in the Middle East, it has mine. You be the judge.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars No president is spared February 22, 2009

By Southern and Still Blue

Format:Hardcover

Patrick Tyler's approach is dispassionate and concise, and it's clear he has done his homework. Americans who have any interest in the Middle East must read this book or their understanding of their own leaders will be incomplete.

The only president who comes out looking OK is Eisenhower. The rest of them are a sad lot and a couple of them were outright disasters, and Tyler doesn't care how politically popular they are or how much trouble he is likely to get in from their apologists. His sole purpose in this book is to offer the reader a clear-eyed, non-partisan view of America's top officeholder. I recommend this book to the smartest people I know.

13 of 16 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent and enlightening panorama January 17, 2009

By Robert Barkin

Format:Hardcover

Not just a well-told tale that takes you deep into the history, places and players that have involved America in the middle east, this book smartly reveals the incredibly complex matrix from which today's problems emanated. Tyler's rich character portraits bring life to the names and figures that have been reported on and analyzed before, but not really brought alive for the reader until now. If you read only the opening chapter, you will know more about the personality and character of George Tenet than any other reporting has offered.

It's a great piece of historical reporting woven into a fast-moving, very informative and entertaining book. Very highly recommended if you have any interest in knowing what the middle east is all about or if you just want to understand why this part of the world so heavily shapes American policies.