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The Foreigner's Gift: The Americans, the Arabs, and the Iraqis in Iraq Hardcover – July 4, 2006

by Fouad Ajami (Author)
4.4 out of 5 stars 28 ratings
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An incisive analysis of the roots and implications of the turmoil in the Middle East journeys behind the familiar facade of Iraq to argue that troubles in the Arab world can be linked to America's limited understanding of the region, thirst for oil, and need to deal with terrorism, as well as to the stranglehold that pan-Arabic thought has on the area. 50,000 first printing.
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  1. Print length
    378 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Free Press
  4. Publication date
    July 4, 2006
  5. Dimensions
    6.3 x 1.2 x 9.3 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    074323667X
  7. ISBN-13
    978-0743236676
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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Fouad Ajami is the Majid Khadduri Professor of Middle East Studies at the School of Advanced International Studies at Johns Hopkins University. He is a contributing editor to U.S. News & World Report and a consultant to CBS News on Middle Eastern affairs. Ajami is a frequent contributor to Foreign Affairs, The Wall Street Journal, The New Republic, and other periodicals and outlets worldwide. Born in Lebanon and raised in Beirut, he is based in New York City.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Free Press; First Edition (July 4, 2006)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 378 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 074323667X
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0743236676
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.2 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.3 x 1.2 x 9.3 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.4 out of 5 stars 28 ratings

About the author

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Fouad Ajami

Fouad Ajami

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Fouad Ajami is a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution and the cochair of the Herbert and Jane Dwight Working Group on Islamism and the International Order. From 1980 to 2011 he was director of Middle East Studies at the Johns Hopkins University. He is the author of The Arab Predicament, Beirut: City of Regrets, The Dream Palace of the Arabs, and The Foreigner's Gift. His most recent publication is The Syrian Rebellion (Hoover Institution Press, 2012). His writings also include some four hundred essays on Arab and Islamic politics, US foreign policy, and contemporary international history. Ajami has received numerous awards, including the Benjamin Franklin Award for public service (2011), the Eric Breindel Award for Excellence in Opinion Journalism (2011), the Bradley Prize (2006), the National Humanities Medal (2006), and the MacArthur Fellows Award (1982). His research has charted the road to 9/11, the Iraq war, and the US presence in the Arab-Islamic world.

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4.4 out of 5 stars
28 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the book provides good insight into the war in Iraq. The readability receives mixed reactions, with several customers describing it as an excellent read.

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10 customers mention "Insight"9 positive1 negative

Customers find the book insightful, particularly regarding the war in Iraq, with one customer noting how it provides background on the politics.

"...in the way of policy recommendations, he has still presented a vital piece of the puzzle that is the U.S. experiment in Iraq...." Read more

"...whose narrative flows effortlessly over a broad range of political, religious, and cultural issues that together describe the diverse elements that..." Read more

"...it, and learned much about important personalities and Shia and Sunni attitudes, but was somewhat disappointed by a lack of current information on..." Read more

"...Runner I wanted to learn about Iraqi culture, no conclusions but very eye-opening. His writing is dense but his analysis is real." Read more

4 customers mention "Readability"2 positive2 negative

Customers have mixed opinions about the book's readability, with some finding it an excellent read while others note that the writing is dense and can be difficult to follow.

"This is first of all a beautifully written book whose narrative flows effortlessly over a broad range of political, religious, and cultural issues..." Read more

"...The book is somewhat difficult to read because it demands a very high level of attention from the reader...." Read more

"...His writing is dense but his analysis is real." Read more

"A great book, but not for beginners..." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • Charm.city.sinner
    4.0 out of 5 stars A great book, but not for beginners
    Reviewed in the United States on October 25, 2006
    Verified Purchase
    There is an abundance of literature that covers U.S.-Iraqi relations since 2001. Too many of the books are polemical in nature, of poor quality, and contribute to the dumbing down of the discussion about Iraq. Fouad Ajami's latest book, however should be on the list of anyone wanting to develop a greater understanding of what's been happening in Iraq since the invasion.

    Ajami made six trips to Iraq, taking extensive notes while talking to politicians, religious leaders, U.S. soldiers, and everyone else he encountered. The Foreigner's Gift is the result of these trips and the conversations he had. Parts of the book read like a travel diary that is personal in nature, while other parts have a broader scope. Throughout the entire book though, is Ajami's interpretation of events as well as his own thoughts about the conflict. He does not hide belief that removing Saddam was the right thing to do, nor does he hide candid remarks about the culture of victimization he sees in the Arab world. He also discusses the problems that resulted from a Sunni government being removed for what will ultimately be a Shi'a government. Rather than presenting opposition to the U.S. in terms of Bush's "unilateralism," Ajami identifies a clear sectarian nature to the Arab world's response. This is one of the most convincing and well-argued takes on this issue that I have read to date.

    Unfortunately the book is not without flaws. The most noticeable is the book's organization. The text appears in what seems like stream of consciousness, rather than following the path of a clear argument. The book is somewhat difficult to read because it demands a very high level of attention from the reader. It is easy to become lost in the text because there is no chronological ordering to it. For someone with a fair amount of knowledge about Iraq, these problems are managable, but if you don't know much about Iraq before picking up this book you will most likely have a difficult time.

    Another noticeable problem is the lack of discussion about the Kurds in Iraq. Ajami does spend some time talking about the Kurds, but it pales in comparison to the amount of time devoted to the Shi'a and Arab Sunnis. Since the book is a result of Ajami's own trips to Iraq, it is certainly possible that he simply didn't spend much time in Kurdistan. However, I feel confident that Ajami has a great deal of knowledge about the Kurds and the picture presented in the book would have been more complete had he included it.

    Even though Ajami does not present much in the way of policy recommendations, he has still presented a vital piece of the puzzle that is the U.S. experiment in Iraq. Those with the patience and the interest will find Ajami's book to be quite valuable not only for the information he contributes to the existing literature, but for the way in which he challenges the reader to see the problem from a different perspective.
    8 people found this helpful
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  • Retired Reader
    5.0 out of 5 stars Unscrambling Iraq
    Reviewed in the United States on October 3, 2006
    Verified Purchase
    This is first of all a beautifully written book whose narrative flows effortlessly over a broad range of political, religious, and cultural issues that together describe the diverse elements that form Iraq. It is a unique book. Fouad Ajami provides the reader with excellent insights on the Muslim minority called Shia, the strange appeal of Saddam Hussein to Sunni Arabs, and the driving political-religious dynamic of the fundamentalist Islamic movements. In the course of doing this he also pays a gracious and sincere tribute to the courage, dedication, and just plain decency of most of the American military forces serving in Iraq. He also manages to clarify the current politics of the Semitic speaking Arab Near East and put into perspective its ambiguous relationship to Indo-European speaking Iran. All in all this is an excellent read and presents what appears to be an accurate description of post Saddam Iraq and the political and religious forces that are shaping its future. Finally he makes clear that Islam suffers from a host of internal contradictions and schisms that often make Muslims appear hypocritical and inconsistent.

    This book is well worth reading. The reader, however, should be aware that much of the book is based on Ajami's subjective perceptions and is colored by his unique background. Yet, at least to this reviewer, Fouad Ajami is a careful and accurate observer whose knowledge of the Near East and of Arabic clearly qualify him as commentator on Iraq.
    9 people found this helpful
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  • JDV
    4.0 out of 5 stars Iraq and the Middle East
    Reviewed in the United States on January 9, 2007
    Verified Purchase
    This is not written as a history of the Iraq War. In this book, the author provides information and background on the politics, culture and religions of Iraq and the Middle East. The author describes his own experiences in Iraq and the people he met as a framework describing the personalities and factions who are affecting the history and current war in Iraq. The author provides enlightening information, but this is not a history of the war or a comprehensive history of Iraq. I enjoyed reading it, and learned much about important personalities and Shia and Sunni attitudes, but was somewhat disappointed by a lack of current information on the war.
    4 people found this helpful
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  • Linda
    5.0 out of 5 stars Provides a deeper understanding of Iraq and Middle East
    Reviewed in the United States on November 26, 2006
    Verified Purchase
    Fouad Ajami's text provides deeper insight into the complicated nature of Iraq. The relations between the Shia and the Sunnis often reminds one of the complicated relationship between the Catholics and the early Protestants as the Christian church altered its vision of Christianity. My understanding of the importance of tribalism and the various long-term family backgrounds of the current leaders emerging in Iraq has also been deepened. The value of America's intervention in Iraq is clearly favored by Ajami which is something I knew before I read the book, but reading this perspective has greatly improved my understanding of why we entered Iraq. Also, my understanding of Lebanon, Syria, Egypt, Iran and the entire Middle East has grown. I had no idea how the other nations impacted the machinations of Iraq and each other until I read this book. Now when I read the news, I have a greater understanding of how the various nations impact each other. The beauty of Iraq is also clearly expressed and valued by Ajami - I had no idea about the great poetry of the region and its importance to its people. The descriptions of the Iraq landscape allow one to see positives about the region that are not read in the current media. Also, Ajami's portrayal of leaders who have long-term positive visions for Iraq and work towards those visions despite death threats and deaths of their family and other like-minded leaders, filled me with hope.
    14 people found this helpful
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  • James A. Molnar II
    4.0 out of 5 stars eye opening view of Iraqi culture
    Reviewed in the United States on June 4, 2013
    Verified Purchase
    After reading Kite Runner I wanted to learn about Iraqi culture, no conclusions but very eye-opening. His writing is dense but his analysis is real.
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