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86 of 93 people found the following review helpful:
Iconoclastic account of world affairs
For those who want to understand how such seemingly disparate issues like the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the Kashmir question, and the situation in Afghanistan fit together in the Post-Cold War world this latest book by Tariq Ali is almost mandatory reading. This is surely a very personal account of world affairs, and in many instances the author is driven just as...
Published on June 16, 2002 by Carool Kersten
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39 of 49 people found the following review helpful:
Mixed
This is a peculiar hybrid of a book. Much of it was written before the attacks of September 11, others were written after it in response to the American-Afghanistan war. Tariq Ali has been for decades both a leading British Trotskyist and the author of justifiably well-regarded books on Pakistan and the Nehru-Gandhi dynasty that has ruled India. He is also one of the...
Published on May 4, 2002 by pnotley@hotmail.com
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Engaging reading, substantial insights, thought-provoking!, October 19, 2008
One can't tell a book from it's cover, but in this case, at least one can get an idea that the author has a sense of humor! Perhaps it may be well that such a serious topic as terrorism and religious fundamentalism be approached with a some humor. At the same time, it is a serious book, one of the few books on terrorism that actually delve into the roots of it all to discern a solution. The book is quite voluminous, nearly 330 pages, packed with information and deep analysis, with many notes. The author's brilliant writing style makes it an incredibly difficult book to put down. I ended up finishing the whole book over the Christmas / New Year holiday, with many sleepless nights, that is.
The book is divided into 4 major parts: one on the early history of Islam; one on the last 100 years of relations with the West, marked by colonialism and upheavals; a special part focusing on South Asia (India and Pakistan) the region about which the author is most familiar; and the last part on the United States and it's relations with the Islamic world. The book is fascinating not only because it draws upon the author's deep knowledge of the history of Islam, but also because he punctuates it with poetry and quotations from diverse literary works over the ages. The book exhibits a deep understanding of the subject, and posits a thesis directly confronting the much-touted "clash of civilizations" model. A major strength of this book, however, is that the author is daring enough not to stand with the crowd. While many intellectuals from the Muslim world do little to explain current events beyond laying the blame on the West, Tariq Ali is not afraid to look squarely at his own culture with the same critical eye he uses to examine Western imperialism.
In this day and age, I would say this is a must-read!
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
Wish i had read this earlier, March 11, 2008
just one word for this book : marvelous.
anyone wanting to get a historical handle on the relation between the west and the middle east has to read this book end to end.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
Beyond moral outrage - , December 14, 2007
Initially I picked up this book because I wanted some deeper understanding of the views of Tariq Ali, of the man behind the 'Islam Quintet'
What I found was a very articulate and thoughtful body of writing which provides considerable food for thought. My particular regional interest is South Asia, and while much of what Tariq Ali writes reinforces reading already undertaken his thoughtful perspectives add new dimensions.
I do not agree with all of the views expressed, but my own views will be better informed for having read them. I would also particularly recommend the interview with Isaac Deutscher in June 1967 that is reproduced as an appendix to this book.
'Moral outrage has some therapeutic value, but as a political strategy it is useless.'
Highly recommended.
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
Read This Book, December 8, 2007
I have owned this book for several years and find myself continuing to go back to it. I think it is imperative that any US citizen who is interested in geo-politics should include in their readings authors who are not of US origin. The perspective gained by such a study is invaluable. I have several Tariq Ali books and would recommend any of his works highly.
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8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
Socialists of the World - Unite and read this book! , August 20, 2006
I'm sorry but I am not a Socialist as I do not share their aversion to religion and their view that religion is the opiate of the masses.
But those of you who are Socialists and anti-Imperialists (so the USSR was not an Imperialist power?),this is an interesting and thoughtful book written by a declared `unbelieving Muslim'. He identifies himself with Muslims but is an Atheist.
The title of the book is probably a reply to Samuel Huntigton's book, `A Clash of Civilisations'. He does very well to support the cause his Socialist ideology by highlighting the alleged inherent weaknesses of the Capitalist/Western system who believe in human rights as long as it supports the cause of the Western/Capitalist system. He talks a little about the Neocon influence in the world how it is damaging world politics and causing terrorist groups to form. The underlying argument presented (with furnishing of examples) is that Western Govts. Have been responsible for the problems in the world, including the recent threats from terrorist groups.
Every chapter has its value and contains a wealth of information starting from the Israel/Palestine crisis through to the crises in Kashmir, Afghanistan, Iraq and Pakistan. The chapter entitled, `Short Course History of US Imperialism' is very interesting and in my view is a reply to Samuel Huntingon's thesis, `Clash of Civilisation', and Francis Fukayama's, `End of History'. The Socialist response to the Capitalist scholars is short and to the point, but I don't believe it challenges the theses of both of these scholars.
The Socialist and anti-religion thread of the book is obvious. Socialists would love it. Muslims may be ambivalent. The Fukayama students and Capitalists in general may loathe this book. From an objective point of view, I give it a reasonable rating.
Hasan Ali Imam
(Ex-Parliamentary Candidate, Conservative Party)
London
UK
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6 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
what a stupid review, August 19, 2006
I haven't read this book (yet), but the Library Journal review is outrageously stupid. Every one of the "undocumented howlers" the reviewer cites is a well-known fact. That kind of smug liberal dismissal only makes me cherish Ali's strident anti-imperialism even more. People like Holmes are far more interested in policing the left than opposing the right, and that's why they're utterly useless.
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
Biased against Islam, but has some interesting Info, June 3, 2006
Alright, first of all, in response to the reviewer who stated that the author must have made up the fact that the US shot down an Iranian Passenfer jet, a quick google search yielded the following:
Iran Air Flight 655 (IR655) was a commercial flight operated by Iran Air that flew from Tehran to Bandar Abbas to Dubai. On July 3, 1988, the airplane flying IR655 was shot down by the U.S. Navy guided missile cruiser USS Vincennes between Bandar Abbas and Dubai, killing all 290 passengers and crew aboard, including 38 non-Iranians and 66 children.
This is an interesting book that should be read with an eye toward verifying the info for one's self, don't be lazy. I disagree with the Author's view of early Islam and reccommend that anyone who reads this book, supplement it with pro-Islamic and pro Secular sources. There's a reason that mysticism in Islam was always strong, and a reason why many of the current Mullahs hate Sufi's and Mysticism. The Author's take on current Middle Eastern affairs are interesting and valuable. Just take the time to verify them because this book seems written by memory more than research, so it's good to check the validity of some of the historical statements.
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3 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
Rich but disappointing, June 2, 2005
Ali's book contains much vivid detail, but while the flow of his discourse is vividly literary, his sentences somehow fail to explain clearly. Many passages left me scratching my head. He does succeeded in nicely deconstructing Middle Eastern and Western fundamentalisms, but it would have been nice to see more constructed in its wake. Somewhat overwhelming in its detail, and not as focused as I would have liked.
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12 of 65 people found the following review helpful:
Belongs in either the fiction or humor department, March 30, 2005
I'd love to read about American imperialism, and see some thoughtful and imaginative constructive criticism of our nation. This isn't it.
Oh, and I've been told that the author is an atheist. Well, that makes little difference to me. From my perspective, atheists are a majority in the world (I count monotheists as atheists, given that they believe in such a small number of Gods and Goddesses). I've also been told that the author is in favor of human rights. After reading this book, I have my doubts about that.
I'd love to see some useful information about places I wish I knew more about, such as Pakistan. But I didn't get anything I could trust from this book, nor even guidance from it on how to find trustworthy material.
The topic I do know something about is Israel, and on this topic, Ali is way off. So far off that I couldn't trust anything he said after reading the many things he said about it. Oh, Ali does admit that Israel did indeed fight in 1967, and that its survival caused it problems. That makes sense; if it hadn't survived, it would have had fewer problems! Yes, many Jews were genuinely and rightfully worried in 1967. According to Ali, they were afraid that Arab revenge on them would be brutal. Um, is that anything like the worry many Jews felt in central Europe in the early 1940s? Were these Jews rightfully worried that German revenge on them would be brutal? After all, several million Jews did get murdered at that time. But I almost forgot! Revenge for what?
Since Ali didn't tell you what crime the Jews committed, I will. They became emancipated. That was the crime that needed avenging! Now you can see why I am suspicious of Ali's commitment to human rights.
Anyway, I read books to be informed, not misinformed.
Still, suppose you want to read something witty, imaginative, and both politically and factually incorrect. Something anti-monotheistic and anti-Israeli. Something that hits the neocons below the belt. Something by a person who has established his right to fly completely off the handle (thereby encouraging wallflowers like me). Well, would this book be a good choice? No. If that's what you want, try Gore Vidal.
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14 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
Fascinating, August 6, 2004
Tariq Ali's writing is powerfully persuasive. This book contains fascinating insights and interpretations of the Western-Middle East relations of the last century. No political opinion is ever unbiased, and the reader should take Ali's decidedly leftist views into account when perusing this book, but the author's judgments are very fair and his criticism equally distributed. Ali attributes warfare and imperialism to economic self-interest, and I find his arguments very convincing. A great read and a fascinating perspective, but be sure to pick up other views as well.
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