A History of the Modern Middle East by William L. Cleveland
$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Amazon Reviewer, 3rdeadly3rd,', 'W')illiam Cleveland's "A History of the Modern Middle East" is without a doubt an essential book for anyone interested in or studying Middle East history.
Cleveland presents the history of the region from the late Ottoman Empire through to the more recent struggles dominating the airwaves and - and this is the most important thing - explains what on earth is at stake. This is a particularly important thing in Middle East history, as some of the alliances and divisions between different groups are somewhat arcane to the beginner.
Unlike many books covering the history of the region, Cleveland writes in an eminently readable manner. While some readers will be astonished at the lack of diacritics and the like, this serves the purpose of communicating his information much more clearly.
His analysis and sense of history are spot-on. Whether writing about the defeat of the Ottoman Empire or the land-rights struggle between the Palestinians and the Israelis, Cleveland presents the facts clearly and with a wry sense of humour at times - particularly in his discussion of Iran's modernising drive.
Cleveland also has an eye for the anecdote and the illuminating personality, which greatly improves his abilities as a writer. If there's one problem with a lot of contemporary Middle East scholarship, it's the reliance on the dry historical record at the expense of the character sketch.
If there is one criticism which could be made of this work, it's that Cleveland sometimes expects a little more background knowledge from his readers than perhaps he should. Already having an interest in this field, I did not suffer too much from this expectation, although the absolute beginner might have some problems.
That said, this is a book I can highly recommend for anyone keen to learn about the genesis of a region which - for better or worse - looks as though it will be in the news headlines for many years to come. After all, as Winston Churchill (a man who does not come up roses in the history of this region) once said, those who do not understand history are doomed to repeat it. Arguably, this is more true in the Middle East than anywhere else on earth.