Synopses & Reviews
"Kamrava provides an in-depth analysis of not just political history but also a variety of other issues that have plagued this part of the world for so many years and continue to remain unresolved for years to come."and#151;Mahmood Monshipouri, author of
Islamism, Secularism, and Human Rights in the Middle East"This is an ambitious, stimulating book that synthesizes a broad range of literature on Middle East history and politics. The author analyzes many important issues in the region, emphasizing the challenges countries face in overcoming historical legacies, developing accountable leadership, recovering from conflict, and developing productive economies."and#151;Bradford Dillman, author of State and Private Sector in Algeria: The Politics of Rent-Seeking and Failed Development
"At a time when sensational books on the Middle East fill the market, this is a serious and sober contribution that will help the students and lay people alike. The author approaches the highly charged emotional issues of the Middle East with sensitivity and objectivity. Kamrava should be commended for a very useful and highly needed book."and#151;Asad AbuKhalil, author of The Battle for Saudi Arabia: Royalty, Fundamentalism, and Global Power
"Professor Kamrava has written a very well-researched, accessible and up to date book. His themes are well chosen; his analysis is cogent and lucid. It is a welcome addition to the literature on Middle East politics"and#151;Manochehr Dorraj, author of Middle East at the Crossroads
"Kamrava's political history of the modern Middle East enjoys that rare combination of insightful analysis and accessibility for the general reader. I recommend it."and#151;Glenn Robinson, author of Building a Palestinian State: The Incomplete Revolution
Review
and#8220;This is an important book for those who focus on human rights in history.and#8221;
Review
and#8220;Recommended.and#8221;
Synopsis
What can be called the long twentieth century represents the most miraculous and creative era in human history. It was also the most destructive. Over the past 150 years, modern societies across the globe have passed through an extraordinary and completely unprecedented transformation rooted in the technological developments of the nineteenth century. The World in the Long Twentieth Century lays out a framework for understanding the fundamental factors that have shaped our world on a truly global scale, analyzing the historical trends, causes, and consequences of the key forces at work. Spanning the 1870s to the present, this book explores the making of the modern world as a connected pattern of global developments. Students learn to think about the past two centuries as a process, a series of political and economic upheavals, technological advances, and environmental transformations that have shaped the long twentieth century.
Synopsis
The first succinct and authoritative overview of the making of the modern Middle East, this lucid book brings a valuable mix of historical perspectives and contemporary analysis to a wide audience of readers seeking expert knowledge about this troubled and fascinating region. Giving a rich perspective on the region's historical and political evolution, the book traces the influence of factors such as religion, culture, and economics and illuminates events and topics currently in the news. With its broad thematic sweep and its balanced presentation of contentious issues, it is essential reading for general readers and students who want to better understand the world today.
Mehran Kamrava sets the stage with a concise discussion of the evolution of Islam and the religion's profound role in the region. He then looks at, in turn, the rise and fall of the Ottomans, the trials of independence and state-building, the emergence and fiery spread of nationalism, the two Arab-Israeli wars of 1967 and 1973, the Iranian Revolution, and the two Gulf Wars and beyond, including discussion of the invasion of Iraq by the United States. After tracing the consequences of these historical events for a host of political phenomena, Kamrava gives detailed attention to three pivotal issues: the challenges of economic development, the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, and the question of democracy. He also examines issues that will shape the future: population growth, environmental pollution, and water scarcity.
Synopsis
Micheline Ishay recounts the dramatic struggle for human rights across the ages in a book that brilliantly synthesizes historical and intellectual developments from the Mesopotamian Codes of Hammurabi to today's era of globalization. As she chronicles the clash of social movements, ideas, and armies that have played a part in this struggle, Ishay illustrates how the history of human rights has evolved from one era to the next through texts, cultural traditions, and creative expression. Writing with verve and extraordinary range, she develops a framework for understanding contemporary issues from the debate over globalization to the intervention in Kosovo to the climate for human rights after September 11, 2001. The only comprehensive history of human rights available, the book will be essential reading for anyone concerned with humankind's quest for justice and dignity.
Ishay structures her chapters around six core questions that have shaped human rights debate and scholarship: What are the origins of human rights? Why did the European vision of human rights triumph over those of other civilizations? Has socialism made a lasting contribution to the legacy of human rights? Are human rights universal or culturally bound? Must human rights be sacrificed to the demands of national security? Is globalization eroding or advancing human rights? As she explores these questions, Ishay also incorporates notable documentsand#151;writings, speeches, and political statementsand#151;from activists, writers, and thinkers throughout history.
Synopsis
"This well-written book, chock-full of knowledge, presents a history of the idea, or ideas, of human rights through the prism of the author's thoughtful views on key controversies that bedevil human rights discourse to this day."and#151;Professor Sir Nigel Rodley, Chair, University of Essex Human Rights Centre; Member, (UN) Human Rights Committee
Synopsis
"A definitive account of the history of human rights told from the perspective of those struggling to obtain them. Using the Enlightenment, industrialization, war, national self-determination, and globalization as lenses through which to look at their evolution, Ishay brings both historical context and conceptual acuity to modern debates about the role of human rights in a multicultural world. Her encompassing and compassionate approach issues in a book equally valuable to scholars, students, and citizens."and#151;Benjamin Barber, University of Maryland, author of
Jihad vs. McWorld"This well-written book, chock-full of knowledge, presents a history of the idea, or ideas, of human rights through the prism of the author's thoughtful views on key controversies that bedevil human rights discourse to this day."and#151;Professor Sir Nigel Rodley, Chair, University of Essex Human Rights Centre; Member, (UN) Human Rights Committee
"The first account of human rights as embedded in the history of political theory, relating it to the basic issues of Liberty, Equality and Fraternity. Erudite and non-dogmatic, Ishayand#160;reaches beyond individual human rights to issues of economic, cultural and national rights, and shows how the campaign for human rights was instrumental in bringing down oppressive regimes in the last decades... Humane and generous inand#160;its approach, brilliant in its conception and presentation."and#151;Shlomo Avineri, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Synopsis
Since it was first published in 2006, this concise overview of the making of the contemporary Middle East has become essential reading for students and general readers who want to gain a better understanding of this diverse region. Writing for a wide audience, Mehran Kamrava takes us from fall of the Ottoman Empire to today, exploring along the way such central issues as the dynamics of economic development, authoritarian endurance, and the Israel-Palestinian conflict. For this new, thoroughly revised edition, he has brought the book fully up to date by incorporating events and issues of the past few years. The Modern Middle East now includes information about the June 2009 Iranian presidential elections and their aftermath, changes precipitated so far by the Obama administration, Israeland#8217;s attack on Gaza in 2008, the effects of globalization on economic development, and more.
Synopsis
From the fall of the Ottoman Empire through the Arab Spring, this completely revised and updated edition of Mehran Kamravaand#8217;s classic treatise on the making of the contemporary Middle East remains essential reading for students and general readers who want to gain a better understanding of this diverse region.
Synopsis
Andre Gunder Frank asks us to ReOrient our views away from Eurocentrismand#151;to see the rise of the West as a mere blip in what was, and is again becoming, an Asia-centered world. In a bold challenge to received historiography and social theory he turns on its head the world according to Marx, Weber, and other theorists, including Polanyi, Rostow, Braudel, and Wallerstein. Frank explains the Rise of the West in world economic and demographic terms that relate it in a single historical sweep to the decline of the East around 1800. European states, he says, used the silver extracted from the American colonies to buy entry into an expanding Asian market that already flourished in the global economy. Resorting to import substitution and export promotion in the world market, they became Newly Industrializing Economies and tipped the global economic balance to the West. That is precisely what East Asia is doing today, Frank points out, to recover its traditional dominance. As a result, the "center" of the world economy is once again moving to the "Middle Kingdom" of China. Anyone interested in Asia, in world systems and world economic and social history, in international relations, and in comparative area studies, will have to take into account Frank's exciting reassessment of our global economic past and future.
Synopsis
"Frank shows how Marx and Weber got it all wrong. A fundamental rethinking of the rise of the West and the origin of the world-system. Absolutely essential to understanding world history."and#151;Albert Bergesen,University of Arizona
"The great virtue of this stimulating book is its relentless push to redefine our framework for thinking about the early modern economy. . . . A benchmark study."and#151;R. Bin Wong,University of California, Irvine
About the Author
Mehran Kamrava is Director of the Center for International and Regional Studies at Georgetown University's School of Foreign Service in Qatar and Professor of Political Science at California State University, Northridge. He is the author of
Revolution in Iran: The Roots of Turmoil,
The Political History of Modern Iran: From Tribalism to Theocracy,
Revolutionary Politics,
Politics and Society in the Third World,
Understanding Comparative Politics: A Framework for Analysis,
Democracy in the Balance: Culture and Society in the Middle East,
Cultural Politics in the Third World,
Politics and Society in the Developing World, 2nd ed., and
Iran's Intellectual Revolution. He has also edited
The New Voices of Islam: Rethinking Politics and Modernity ) and is the co-editor of the two-volume work
Iran Today: Life in the Islamic Republic.Table of Contents
List of Illustrations
List of Tables and List of Maps
Acknowledgments to the First Edition
Acknowledgments to the Second Edition
Acknowledgments to the Third Edition
Introduction
Part I. A Political History of the Middle East
1. From Islam to the Great War
2. From Territories to Independent States
3. The Age of Nationalism
4. The Arab-Israeli Wars
5. The Iranian Revolution
6. The Gulf Wars and Beyond
Part II. Issues in Middle Eastern Politics
7. States and Their Opponents
8. Repression and Rebellion
9. The Palestinian-Israeli Conflict
10. The Challenge of Economic Development
11. Challenges Facing the Middle East
Notes
Bibliography
Index