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The Complete Idiot's Guide to Middle East Conflict Mass Market Paperback – September 1, 1999

by Mitchell G. Bard Ph.D. (Author)

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You're no idiot, of course. You know that the Middle East is always in the news. But the situation there is so complex and tangled up you just can't keep track of it all. Was King Hussein related to Saddam Hussein? Why all the fighting over the West Bank? And what's oil, water, and sand got to do with it all? Don't let your brain get parched yet! The Complete Idiot's Guide to Middle East Conflict sorts through the political and military quagmire of the Middle East in language anyone can understand. In this Complete Idiot's Guide, you

Print length

496 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Alpha
Publication date

September 1, 1999
Dimensions

7.35 x 1 x 9 inches
ISBN-10

0028632613
ISBN-13

978-0028632612
See all details

Craig S. Davis
134
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Michael Scott-Baumann
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Mitchell G. Bard
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Editorial Reviews

Review

If the new "Complete Idiot's Guide to the Middle East Conflict" has any advantage over in-depth geopolitical reporting in newspapers or analytical academic treatises based on years of research, it is in its humility. The book points out historical misunderstandings in side-bars topped by a picture of a pharaoh wagging a finger and saying "Tut Tut!" It doles out trivia beneath a cartoon of a smiling sphinx. It contains subheadings such as, "Hello Haganah" and "Too Many Jews, Not Enough Space."

American Jews who consider themselves experts on Israeli affairs might walk right past the book and think there couldn't possibly be anything for them in the volume....Then there's the political problem: Mainstream, broad-based texts usually bend so much toward even-handedness that they end up offending partisans on both sides.

What a surprise, then, that this Idiot's Guide is not so idiotic....It takes away the egos of the scholars who usually arm themselves with complicated conclusions so they can sound like they know what they are talking about when nobody, in 2,000 years, has been able to successfully navigate the Middle East to peace. -- Forward, January 7, 2000

My first inclination was to relegate a book with such an off-putting title to the dusty shelf that groans under the weight of other never-to-be-read books. That was before I began flipping through its pages and then, much to my surprise, started reading it more carefully. I laughed. I learned. I marveled at the clever way a complex subject was broken down into manageable, fairly distortion-free paragraph bites, complete with eye-catching headings, amusing asides and fascinating factoids....Amusing line drawings and historic photographs enliven the already lively prose and, for the more studious, there are valuable time lines and an excellent glossary. Moreover, if I had any doubts about the seriousness of Bard's research, I would only have to check the 11-page bibliography of books and Web sites he used to complete his guide....Neophytes and longtime Mideast watchers alike will learn something and enjoy doing it with The Complete Idiot's Guide to Middle East Conflict. -- Cleveland Jewish News, January 20, 2000

You're no idiot, of course. You know that the Middle East is always in the news. But the situation there is so complex, you just can't keep track of it all. Was King Hussein related to Saddam Hussein? Why all the fighting over the West Bank? And what does oil, water, and sand have to do with it? Don't let your brain get parched. This useful book sorts through the political and military quagmire of the Middle East in language anyone can understand. -- AOL Jewish Community Newsletter, January 13, 2000

From the Back Cover

You're no idiot, of course. You know that the Middle East is always in the news. But the situation there is so complex and tangled up you just can't keep track of it all. Was King Hussein related to Saddam Hussein? Why all the fighting over the West Bank? And what's oil, water, and sand got to do with it all? Don't let your brain get parched yet! The Complete Idiot's Guide to Middle East Conflict sorts through the political and military quagmire of the Middle East in language anyone can understand. In this Complete Idiot's Guide, you get:

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Alpha (September 1, 1999)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Mass Market Paperback ‏ : ‎ 496 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0028632613
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0028632612
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.81 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 7.35 x 1 x 9 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #2,842,315 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #1,781 in Non-US Legal Systems (Books)
- #9,645 in Middle East History
- #25,917 in Asian History (Books)

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Mitchell Geoffrey Bard

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Mitchell Bard is the Executive Director of the nonprofit AMERICAN-ISRAELI

COOPERATIVE ENTERPRISE (AICE) and one of the leading authorities on U.S.-

Middle East policy. Dr. Bard is also the director of the

Jewish Virtual Library (www.JewishVirtualLibrary.org), the world's most

comprehensive online encyclopedia of Jewish history and culture.

Dr. Bard has appeared on the BBC, Fox News, al-Jazeera, NBC, CBC, the

Jenny Jones Show and other local and national television and radio

outlets. His work has been published in academic journals, magazines and

major newspapers. He has written and edited 22 books. His newest

book is Israel Matters: Understand the Past - Look to the Future. He has also

written:

The Arab Lobby: The Invisible Alliance that Undermines America's Interests in the Middle East

Israel Studies: An Anthology (coeditor with David Nachmias)

Will Israel Survive?

The Complete Idiot's Guide to Middle East Conflict (4th edition)

48 Hours of Kristallnacht

The Founding of Israel

The Complete Idiot's Guide to World War II

Myths And Facts: A Guide to the Arab-Israeli Conflict

1001 Facts Everyone Should Know About Israel

Forgotten Victims: The Abandonment of Americans in Hitler's Camps

The Holocaust (Turning Points in World History)

The Nuremberg Trials (At Issue in History)

The Nuremberg Trials (Eyewitness to History)

From Tragedy to Triumph: The Politics Behind the Rescue of Ethiopian Jews

The Complete History of the Holocaust

The Water's Edge And Beyond: Defining the Limits to Domestic Influence on U.S. Middle East Policy

Partners for Change: How U.S.-Israel Cooperation Can Benefit America

U.S.-Israel Relations: Looking to the Year 2000

Building Bridges: Lessons For America From Novel Israeli Approaches To Promote Coexistence

On One Foot: A Middle East Guide for the Perplexed or How to Respond on Your Way to Class When Your Best Friend Joins an Anti-Israel Protest

The Complete Idiot's Guide to Understanding the Brain

Bard holds a Ph.D. in political science from UCLA and a master's degree in public policy from

Berkeley. He received his B.A. in economics from the University of California at Santa Barbara.

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3.8 out of 5

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Veet Vivarto

The background necessary for understanding the conflict in the M.E.

Reviewed in the United States on September 20, 2007

Verified Purchase

This book is an eye opener. I understand why many people are upset by it: It completely contradicts the "politically correct myths about "the poor Arab victims of Israeli imperialism." It also contradicts another myth; that Israel, one that almost everyone believes: That America is Israel's great benefactor. It is not possible to explain all this is in this review, that is why everyone who is interested in this subject must read the book. After reading the book and check the sources, you may have and entirely different perception on Jewish/Arab conflict and America's role in it.

The conflict cannot be solved as long as we continue to believe in myths. It is politically correct these days to blame Israel. What we are overlooking is that Israel is facing the Arab and Muslim world that is unified about only one thing, their hatred of Jews and commitment to destroy Israel.

The Arabs have openly promised to exterminate the Jews before starting each of the wars against Israel:1948, 1956, 1967, 1973 as well as in the long-lasting war of attrition.

Most people believe that "Israel was established by the Brits", the reality is diametrically opposite. The Brits did everything in their power to prevent Jew from entering Palestine. Just before and during the WWII the Brits prevented Jews from entering Palestine, condemning over 1 million immigrants to the German gas chambers.

When after declaring independence, Israel was attacked by all the Arab states, the Brits and Americans imposed weapon embargo on Israel, while the Brits continued supply vast quantities of weaponry to the Arabs. British officers were actively leading the Jordanian Arab Legions against Israel. British advisors were assisting the Egyptian army, and British pilots were flying the Egyptian air force. (4 were shot down over Israel and taken prisoner).

Haven read this book, most readers will have learned an entirely different perspective than the one commonly found in the media.

10 people found this helpful

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Richard from L.A.

The truth is so nice to know.

Reviewed in the United States on June 16, 2010

Verified Purchase

The middle east has been a crazy episode in the world for so many years. It is difficult to understand why a piece of property smaller than almost every state in the US with less people then the 405 freeway at 4:00PM bothers so many Arabs. I do know for a fact that Israelis build hospitals and schools and Muslims blow them up. I do know if the Arabs would put down their weapons there would be PEACE and if the Israelis put down their weapons there would be a lot of Dead JEWS.
This book explains what has happened. Please read this and find out the truth.

6 people found this helpful

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Franks stuff

Great book

Reviewed in the United States on November 4, 2023

Verified Purchase

Very educational. Gives you biblical perspective of history, the wars through time, when various country border lines were drawn and the resulting problems of today.

Reviewed in the United States on April 18, 2002

I bought this book because I thought it might be a good candidate as a text for a college course I'm teaching next fall. What I was looking for was a straightforward account of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict that laid the bare essentials on the table so that novices could get a good overview.
To a certain extent, Bard does this. In keeping with the "Idiot's Guide" format, he tries his best to reduce huge gobs of information into digestible bites, and he frequently manages to pull it off. But people thinking about buying this book need to be aware that there's a clear pro-Israeli bias reflected in it. Again and again the Palestinians are portrayed as the culprits who break peace agreements and kill Israelis, while the Israelis are viewed for the most part as patient but beleaguered heroes.
Don't misunderstand me. I'm not pro-Palestinian in this conflict. The whole mess in the Middle East is just too complicated to take sides in a knee-jerk fashion. There is right on both sides, but both sides also have committed acts that are vile and shameful. My problem with Bard's book isn't, then, that he defends a slant with which I disagree. My problem is that his book isn't the balanced account the publisher leads you to think it is. But since both Bard and a close technical reviewer of the book are associates with pro-Israeli groups, I suppose the slant is predictable.
I won't be using this as one of my texts in the fall. But it's still worth taking a quick look at by anyone interested in the Middle East conflict--just so long as you keep in mind that Bard is spinning as well as describing.

59 people found this helpful

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JaSt

Extremely biased

Reviewed in the United States on November 26, 2006

Verified Purchase

Interesting enough presentation of material. Good if you are looking for information in support of the Israeli side of the story but don't expect non-biased information. It is written by the Executive Director American-Israeli Cooperative and his bias is obvious. I am very disappointed the Idiots Guide series would select such a non-neutral author.

22 people found this helpful

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NOAH

A Must Read for Anyone Interested in the Middle East

Reviewed in the United States on October 14, 2001

Verified Purchase

My understanding of the current situation in the Middle East was made so much clearer after reading this book. It is hard to understand the 'big picture' when you see 5 minute stories on the evening news. However, this book gives you the necessary background information that puts today's news in context with the historical perspective.

Mr. Bard has done an outstanding job of providing rich details of history while maintaining complete impartiality. I now feel that I can speak, at least somewhat intelligently, about the conflict in the Middle East, a hot topic among my friends, neighbors and co-workers.

17 people found this helpful

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Amazon Customer

Watch for author bias. Middle East conflict from a Jewish perspective.

Reviewed in the United States on December 31, 2023

Dr. Bard is Jewish and his entire career (e.g., director of the Jewish Virtual Library) and his publications are all about Jewish suffering and history, so this book is not likely to be balanced from Arab or Palestinian perspectives.

Reviewed in the United States on November 25, 2013

Verified Purchase

Reasonably concise briefing of complex Middle East conflicts. Used it in my CWP classes for students who wanted a more in-depth look at the ever evolving problems of the world's most explosive region.

One person found this helpful

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Top reviews from other countries

Spookylabrador

Brilliant.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 24, 2016

Verified Purchase

To leftys this book will seem biased, the reason being it is factual and does not really portray terrorists in a good light nor the agenda behind terrorism etc. Also may I suggest 'Philistine' the revised/updated version by Ramon Bennet whom not only writes it but provides the evidence of what he writes.

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