What Every American Should Know About the Middle East »

Melissa Rossi is an award-winning journalist who has written articles for Newsweek, National Geographic Traveler, Newsday, Esquire, MSNBC, and The New York Observer. She has written extensively about the Middle East, Europe, and Asia, and has lived abroad for many years.

The What Every American Should Know series returns with a timely guide to the region Americans need to understand the most (and know the least)

The latest edition of Melissa Rossi's popular What Every American Should Know series gives a crash course on one of the most complex and important regions of the world. In this comprehensive and engaging reference book, Rossi offers a clear analysis of the issues playing out in the Middle East, delving into each country's history, politics, economy, and religions. Having traveled through the area over the past year, she exposes firsthand the U.S.'s geopolitical moves and how our presence has affected the region's economic and political development. Topics include:

· Why Iran is viewed as a threat by most Middle East countries
· What resource is more important than petroleum in regional power plays
· What's really behind the fighting between Sunni and Shia
· How Saudi Arabia inadvertently feeds the violence in Iraq and beyond
· How monarchies like those in Jordan and Qatar are more open and progressive than the so-called republics With answers that will surprise many Americans, and covering a vast history and cultural complexity that will fascinate any student of the world, What Every American Should Know About the Middle East is a must-read introduction to the most critical region of the twenty-first century.

Library Journal

Part primer with historical overviews and bios on key players and part tabloid-style digest, Rossi's series entry nonetheless manages to remain entirely informative throughout. Setting itself apart by addressing preconceived notions, the book is divided into chapters on specific countries in the Middle East, emphasizing their uniqueness in matters of energy, military, religion/ethnicity, money, politics, unity, and theocracy. Statistics are provided on the war, including civilian and militia deaths, refugees, and moneys spent on Iraq and unaccounted for. Rossi's previous titles in her WEASK series (whateveryamericanshouldknow.com) hint at the tone of this book, e.g., What Every American Should Know About Who's Really Running the World: The People, Corporations, and Organizations That Control Our Future . Her boldly outspoken style might not appeal equally to everyone; one chapter is titled "European Designs: Hacking up the Middle East." However, her cheat sheets help clarify, her vocabulary is defined, and there are extensive footnotes. Overall, this is recommended for public and undergraduate libraries.-Krista Bush, Univ. of New Haven Lib., West Haven, CT

Introduction

Ch. 1 Misunderstanding the Middle East 1

Cheat Sheet 1 Basic Concepts and Building Blocks 17

Ch. 2 Jogging Through the Millennia 25

Ch. 3 Pulling the Pieces Together 41

Ch. 4 European Designs: Hacking Up the Middle East 67

Cheat Sheet 2 1979 and Beyond: A Quick Look at the Issues 105

Ch. 5 Iraq: Pardon Our Mess 115

Ch. 6 Iran: Isn't the Party Over Yet? 147

Ch. 7 The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia: Splitsville 179

Ch. 8 Kuwait: Lines in the Sand 211

Ch. 9 Yemen: In Another World 237

Ch. 10 The United Arab Emirates: The Land of Possibilities 257

Ch. 11 Qatar: Trail Blazing 279

Ch. 12 Bahrain: A New Profile 293

Ch. 13 Oman: Awake at Last 303

Cheat Sheet 3 The Westerners 314

Ch. 14 Israel: Fulfilling Prophecies 323

Ch. 15 Disappearing Act: The Palestinian Territories, the West Bank and Gaza 345

Ch. 16 Lebanon: The Cedar Devolution 365

Ch. 17 Syria: Crumbling Support 389

Ch. 18 Jordan: Stuck in the Middle 409

Ch. 19 Egypt: Secret Society 431

Notes 451

Bibliography and Online Resources 467

Index 471