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The Making of the Modern Middle East: A Personal History
Jeremy Bowen, the International Editor of the BBC, has been covering the Middle East since 1989 and is uniquely placed to explain its complex past and its troubled present.
In The Making of the Modern Middle East – in part based on his acclaimed podcast, ‘Our Man in the Middle East’ – Bowen takes us on a journey across the Middle East and through its history. He meets ordinary men and women on the front line, their leaders, whether brutal or benign, and he explores the power games that have so often wreaked devastation on civilian populations as those leaders, whatever their motives, jostle for political, religious and economic control.
With his deep understanding of the political, cultural and religious differences between countries as diverse as Erdogan’s Turkey, Assad’s Syria and Netanyahu’s Israel and his long experience of covering events in the region, Bowen offers readers a gripping and invaluable guide to the modern Middle East, how it came to be and what its future might hold.
In The Making of the Modern Middle East – in part based on his acclaimed podcast, ‘Our Man in the Middle East’ – Bowen takes us on a journey across the Middle East and through its history. He meets ordinary men and women on the front line, their leaders, whether brutal or benign, and he explores the power games that have so often wreaked devastation on civilian populations as those leaders, whatever their motives, jostle for political, religious and economic control.
With his deep understanding of the political, cultural and religious differences between countries as diverse as Erdogan’s Turkey, Assad’s Syria and Netanyahu’s Israel and his long experience of covering events in the region, Bowen offers readers a gripping and invaluable guide to the modern Middle East, how it came to be and what its future might hold.
15 pages, Audible Audio
Published September 1, 2022
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 135 reviews
November 13, 2023
Everyone has blood on their hands
I know very little about the Middle East and picked this up for an introduction. For the past few decades Jeremy Bowen has been the BBC’s Middle East correspondent and then its Middle East editor, so it’s safe to say he knows what he’s talking about. This very readable book is a relatively brief survey of recent history, with the occasional story from Jeremy’s career giving it a slightly personal flavour. It seems to be an even handed account, by which I mean equally sympathetic to citizens & victims of all nationalities, and equally condemning of all governments and leaders - including for the West, which receives special criticism for its short-sighted imperialist meddling.
I know very little about the Middle East and picked this up for an introduction. For the past few decades Jeremy Bowen has been the BBC’s Middle East correspondent and then its Middle East editor, so it’s safe to say he knows what he’s talking about. This very readable book is a relatively brief survey of recent history, with the occasional story from Jeremy’s career giving it a slightly personal flavour. It seems to be an even handed account, by which I mean equally sympathetic to citizens & victims of all nationalities, and equally condemning of all governments and leaders - including for the West, which receives special criticism for its short-sighted imperialist meddling.
March 12, 2024
The Middle East region is seldom out of the news these days, the current Israel-Hamas war being the latest in a long line of conflicts. Jeremy Bowen, the International Editor of the BBC, has been reporting from the region for over thirty years. He clearly knows his patch well and here he’s documented his appraisal of where things currently stand and how this point was reached, with a particular focus on the time since he began his regular reports.
He does cover some of the earlier history too, from the point Britain destroyed the Ottoman Empire in 1918 (it continued to rule the area until 1948). He’s scathing in his appraisal of the way Britain became the catalyst for many of the issues witnessed since, particularly as a result of disastrous decisions made during WWI and after WWII. He states that by the 1990s the region was stagnant with countries waiting for the demise or death of dictatorial leaders, but eventual outfall from the collapse of the Soviet Union and later the events of 911 were to kick-off events that are still reverberating today.
Bowen lays out his book in a series of interlinked essays. He trots through Russia’s invasion of Afghanistan, Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait and the Gulf War, the Israel-Hezbollah War, the Arab Spring, the brutal murder of Gaddafi, the rise and fall of Al-Qaeda, ISIS and the Iranian nuclear programme. It’s worth stating that the current conflict kicked off after this book was completed and is therefore not mentioned – though it is forecast!
In truth, I found it all rather overwhelmingly grim and also hard to follow. This is partly down to how the book is structured with themes often being repeated and events overflowing from one section to another, but also due to that fact that it’s complicated – damned complicated. Another factor is that to my Western ears the long, difficult names just didn’t stick in my head and I found that I lost track of some the figures mentioned on a regular basis. But mostly it was the fact that Jeremy’s job was, in part, to visit the scenes of death and destruction and report what he saw. I don’t know how he did it for the length of time he did. I became distinctly battle weary quite early on.
I did learn a lot, but to be honest I was glad when I was fully through the book. I listened to an audio version read by the author, I voice I’ve become well acquainted with over the years. It’s a good way to obtain a comprehensive overview of the regions recent history, but my advice is to ensure you’re not already in a dark place before you begin, and have a decent tot of something strong within easy reach throughout.
He does cover some of the earlier history too, from the point Britain destroyed the Ottoman Empire in 1918 (it continued to rule the area until 1948). He’s scathing in his appraisal of the way Britain became the catalyst for many of the issues witnessed since, particularly as a result of disastrous decisions made during WWI and after WWII. He states that by the 1990s the region was stagnant with countries waiting for the demise or death of dictatorial leaders, but eventual outfall from the collapse of the Soviet Union and later the events of 911 were to kick-off events that are still reverberating today.
Bowen lays out his book in a series of interlinked essays. He trots through Russia’s invasion of Afghanistan, Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait and the Gulf War, the Israel-Hezbollah War, the Arab Spring, the brutal murder of Gaddafi, the rise and fall of Al-Qaeda, ISIS and the Iranian nuclear programme. It’s worth stating that the current conflict kicked off after this book was completed and is therefore not mentioned – though it is forecast!
In truth, I found it all rather overwhelmingly grim and also hard to follow. This is partly down to how the book is structured with themes often being repeated and events overflowing from one section to another, but also due to that fact that it’s complicated – damned complicated. Another factor is that to my Western ears the long, difficult names just didn’t stick in my head and I found that I lost track of some the figures mentioned on a regular basis. But mostly it was the fact that Jeremy’s job was, in part, to visit the scenes of death and destruction and report what he saw. I don’t know how he did it for the length of time he did. I became distinctly battle weary quite early on.
I did learn a lot, but to be honest I was glad when I was fully through the book. I listened to an audio version read by the author, I voice I’ve become well acquainted with over the years. It’s a good way to obtain a comprehensive overview of the regions recent history, but my advice is to ensure you’re not already in a dark place before you begin, and have a decent tot of something strong within easy reach throughout.
February 3, 2024
Sākotnēji mazliet grūti izsekot visam un arī domāju, ka nevēlēšos daudz klausīties par konfliktiem un karadarbību, bet sanāca tā, ka "apriju" šo grāmatu. Autors ir BBC žurnālists, kurš kopš 1989. gada pārvietojas pa Tuvo Austrumu valstīm un ziņo par tur notiekošo. Viņa vēstījums ir rūpīgs reportiera darbs cenšoties atainot visas puses, vietām atkāpjoties privātās atmiņās. Ja lasītu drukāto versiju, tad, kā sapratu, tekstu papildinātu arī viņa uzņemtas fotogrāfijas. Tuvie Austrumi ir pulvera muca un miers balansē uz plāna naža asmens. Reliģija, vēsture, politika, nacionālisms, ekonomiskās intereses, sens naids, pārdalītas zemes - tur viss ir cieši saistīts. Es tagad zinu krietni vairāk par šo teritoriju, bet cik daudz saprotu? Tas ir sarežģīti.
February 10, 2024
Viena no asiņainākajām un smagākajām grāmatām, ko pēdējos gados esmu lasījis. BBC žurnālista/aculiecinieka stāsts par pēdējo 30 gadu vardarbības cikliem Tuvajos Austrumos. Mazliet saraustīta struktūra un būtu gribējies vairāk konteksta, bet tas ir milzīgs lauks, ko īsti nevar atšķetināt, tikai aprakstīt, kas ir saasinājis kārtējo konfliktu un kur tas aizvedis.
October 31, 2023
I mostly read this because a friend has been peer-pressuring me to learn about the West's escapades in Iraq in the 90s, and I'm glad I gave in to the guilt. This was a great read. It's not easy to lay out plainly the complex issues that makes the Middle East such a fraught region. This is a balanced introduction; Bowen makes few apologies for any of the leaders he profiles, and his own experiences enrich the history without reading like a self-absorbed memoir. All told, pretty devastating.
December 11, 2023
This book developed out of a series of radio programmes by the BBC’s Middle East editor and it feels like a collection of pieces of reportage. The writing is powerful with vivid details of individuals’ lives. I would have preferred more historical insight, but the book is well worth reading.
November 23, 2023
What I love about Jeremy Bowen is his courage and his voice. I can certainly hear his voice in The Making of The Modern Middle East. I have read quite a few books by front-line journalists, and they can be hard to read, and fully understand the wars they are covering. Mr. Bowen is different – his reports are written in a way that is easy to understand, honest, and without bias. He has been my favourite journalist since I saw him cover the Bosnian War.
In this book, we read about his personal experiences throughout his time covering the wars in the Middle East (thirty years) and his insightful analysis. Of course, the scenes are horrific, and a lot of the time the outcomes are not positive, but I think what this author does apart from illuminating extreme suffering shows how ordinary people can pull together and be compassionate. He also explains the history of the regions and the main triggers of the individual crises and wars.
I really admire this man who does a top-notch job reporting on very serious issues, sometimes putting his own life in danger to enable people like me to follow what is going on in the world. I often wonder after thirty years of being on the front line he manages to sleep at night after the horrific things he has witnessed.
If you like geopolitics and are interested in the Middle East, I recommend this book.
In this book, we read about his personal experiences throughout his time covering the wars in the Middle East (thirty years) and his insightful analysis. Of course, the scenes are horrific, and a lot of the time the outcomes are not positive, but I think what this author does apart from illuminating extreme suffering shows how ordinary people can pull together and be compassionate. He also explains the history of the regions and the main triggers of the individual crises and wars.
I really admire this man who does a top-notch job reporting on very serious issues, sometimes putting his own life in danger to enable people like me to follow what is going on in the world. I often wonder after thirty years of being on the front line he manages to sleep at night after the horrific things he has witnessed.
If you like geopolitics and are interested in the Middle East, I recommend this book.
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April 7, 2024Account of Jeremy Bowen (BBC Middle East correspondents) learnings from his time reporting from the Middle East. Highlighted the incredible lengths some reporters go to, especially during conflicts (e.g. he found himself riding with Iraqi Police 100m away from ISIS not the front line).
Focused a lot on Iraq and America's policy failures here: deciding to totally disband the security forces post Saddam's removal resulted in sending 10,000s into unemployment with lost pensions and a collapse of law and order. Moreover, many of these soldiers were far removed from the inner party workings and were not Saddam loyalists. The funny thing about dictatorships is they often result in very little street level crime - and many of the cities are extremely safe for visitors from this perspective.
As expected, lots of content on the Sunni vs Shia split in the ME (focused on Saudi / Yemen, etc.). Plenty of Jerusalem content too: a city constantly been fought over, with most major religions claiming to have some of their most holy sites there - there's no easy solution to this.
Serious betrayal of the Kurds by Western Powers which continues to this day.
Ultimately, the Middle East's nation states were born through Sykes–Picot. They are inherently fragile as people's loyalties are to their ethnic groups, tribes or religions - clearly they do not care for how the British and French decided to split the region up.
Focused a lot on Iraq and America's policy failures here: deciding to totally disband the security forces post Saddam's removal resulted in sending 10,000s into unemployment with lost pensions and a collapse of law and order. Moreover, many of these soldiers were far removed from the inner party workings and were not Saddam loyalists. The funny thing about dictatorships is they often result in very little street level crime - and many of the cities are extremely safe for visitors from this perspective.
As expected, lots of content on the Sunni vs Shia split in the ME (focused on Saudi / Yemen, etc.). Plenty of Jerusalem content too: a city constantly been fought over, with most major religions claiming to have some of their most holy sites there - there's no easy solution to this.
Serious betrayal of the Kurds by Western Powers which continues to this day.
Ultimately, the Middle East's nation states were born through Sykes–Picot. They are inherently fragile as people's loyalties are to their ethnic groups, tribes or religions - clearly they do not care for how the British and French decided to split the region up.
September 9, 2023
يقدم مراسل قناة بي بي سي جيرمي باون، في هذا الكتاب القيم والممتع، خلاصة تجاربه وخبراته في العمل الصحفي في عدد من دول الشرق الأوسط. غطى باون حرب تحرير الكويت، وحرب احتلال العراق، إضافة إلى الكثير من الأحداث السياسية والعسكرية على مدى يمتد لثلاثة عقود من الزمن. إضافة لذلك أجرى مقابلات مع أبرز الشخصيات التي أثرت في تشكيل تاريخ المنطقة. كتاب أنصح بقراءته وكذلك الاستماع لبرنامج جيرمي باون الإخباري.
June 29, 2024
Very interesting audiobook - would recommend
March 11, 2024
A vivid modern history of the Middle East, told by BBC reporting legend Jeremy Bowen. Clearly set apart from more objective works of political science, this is both a memoir of reporting in the region since the 1980s, where Bowen has met with so many different human beings involved in the struggle of somehow surviving the next day under some regime, and also a clear take on what the underlying political issues are.
I was especially impressed by a chapter on a Syrian family of museum directors successfully rescuing valuable historical artefacts out of Palmyra, minutes before IS ransacked the town and museum, obviously risking their own lives for preservation‘s sake.
I was especially impressed by a chapter on a Syrian family of museum directors successfully rescuing valuable historical artefacts out of Palmyra, minutes before IS ransacked the town and museum, obviously risking their own lives for preservation‘s sake.
June 9, 2024
A pretty depressing survey of the key events in the Middle East and North Africa, mostly over the past 35 years but with some historic background in places - and it all seems to get progressively worse rather than ever getting any better. Something of a revision course for anyone who, like me, had followed these events as news as they happened.
August 4, 2023
I really liked this book. It has a nice balance between a history of the ME (probably 95%) and personal history of the author (probably 5%). So much of the story I heard as news fragments without really understanding the underlying structures, at least in a joined up way.
Bowen tells a conventional political history. He's very good at getting inside key ruler's heads and uncovering the political calculus. This was powerful when explaining Syria from the perspective of Assad, someone who married a Londoner and friend of Blair and saw himself as a moderniser but went on to butcher his own people.
Brown has very little to say about Islamism. He accepts it motivates actors but there is nothing beyond that. This is somewhat understandable with the Islamic State. He really puts across how evil they were in a way I didn't fully grasp at the time. But a big elephant in the loom was the Muslim Brotherhood and Qutb. This movement has endearing appeal and its not related to raw political calculus, but instead Islam as a body of thought.
On Israel-Palestine, he is realistic about Israel as calling the shots and so he doesn't even begin to talk about the two-state solution etc. But he still spends time on the suffering of Palestinians... But to what end? I don't know.
He is stinging about the US, both in terms of entering Iraq without a clear plan and also leaving Afghanistan in a rush. He draws a comparison between 2021 Kabul airport scenes and when the Soviet Union left, which was the start of the book. It is a nice rhetorical trip, but really the seeds of the new order in the Middle East were much earlier.
It starts with the Iraq invasion, in which the US toppled a Sunni bulwark against Iran and never succeeded in bringing order to Iraq. This ultimately led to the rise of the Islamic State.
But no-one caused a bigger regime shift than Obama. First, he allowed and seemed to encourage the fall of Mubarak after a few weeks of protests. This despite Egypt being the closest Arab ally to the US in terms of military support. Of course this makes the gulf countries lose trust. But then allowing Assad to cross the chemical weapons redline in Syria really showed disengagement. Russia entered the ME in a big way following that and Iran also expanded. Not least because Obama negotiated the JCPOA. After this Saudi and UAE lost trust in the US, and started to flirt with China and Russia in pursuit of a new regional order. The most symbolic act was leaving Afghanistan and the Taliban taking power..
What was achieved? Saudi and Russia in Yemen and Syria waged far more brutal wars than did the US in any war since Vietnam. In Sisi, Egypt ended up with a more brutal and repressive leader than Mubarak. Lebanon descended into chaos. The Kurds still don't have a state. Israel is perhaps the winner as all the chaos distracts from the Palestinian issue. But even Israel, the US' closest ally in the region, didn't take their side against Russia...
I don't know. Increasingly I think the global order needs a hegemon to underwrite security and trade. The US used to play that role and took it too far in various places (e.g. Iraq invasion, random acts of terror in the military that weren't properly investigated and sanctioned etc) but I don't think they had a policy that consisted of systematic oppression. unlike Russia and various strongmen regimes. We're about to enter a messy world as the US retreats into isolation. We'll all be poorer and there'll be more conflict. The Europeans will realise that peace and pacificism was only possible because they free rode on the US security umbrella. Sorry final paragraph of this turned into a political rant that was waaay outside the scope of this book, although Bowen touches on similar themes.
Bowen tells a conventional political history. He's very good at getting inside key ruler's heads and uncovering the political calculus. This was powerful when explaining Syria from the perspective of Assad, someone who married a Londoner and friend of Blair and saw himself as a moderniser but went on to butcher his own people.
Brown has very little to say about Islamism. He accepts it motivates actors but there is nothing beyond that. This is somewhat understandable with the Islamic State. He really puts across how evil they were in a way I didn't fully grasp at the time. But a big elephant in the loom was the Muslim Brotherhood and Qutb. This movement has endearing appeal and its not related to raw political calculus, but instead Islam as a body of thought.
On Israel-Palestine, he is realistic about Israel as calling the shots and so he doesn't even begin to talk about the two-state solution etc. But he still spends time on the suffering of Palestinians... But to what end? I don't know.
He is stinging about the US, both in terms of entering Iraq without a clear plan and also leaving Afghanistan in a rush. He draws a comparison between 2021 Kabul airport scenes and when the Soviet Union left, which was the start of the book. It is a nice rhetorical trip, but really the seeds of the new order in the Middle East were much earlier.
It starts with the Iraq invasion, in which the US toppled a Sunni bulwark against Iran and never succeeded in bringing order to Iraq. This ultimately led to the rise of the Islamic State.
But no-one caused a bigger regime shift than Obama. First, he allowed and seemed to encourage the fall of Mubarak after a few weeks of protests. This despite Egypt being the closest Arab ally to the US in terms of military support. Of course this makes the gulf countries lose trust. But then allowing Assad to cross the chemical weapons redline in Syria really showed disengagement. Russia entered the ME in a big way following that and Iran also expanded. Not least because Obama negotiated the JCPOA. After this Saudi and UAE lost trust in the US, and started to flirt with China and Russia in pursuit of a new regional order. The most symbolic act was leaving Afghanistan and the Taliban taking power..
What was achieved? Saudi and Russia in Yemen and Syria waged far more brutal wars than did the US in any war since Vietnam. In Sisi, Egypt ended up with a more brutal and repressive leader than Mubarak. Lebanon descended into chaos. The Kurds still don't have a state. Israel is perhaps the winner as all the chaos distracts from the Palestinian issue. But even Israel, the US' closest ally in the region, didn't take their side against Russia...
I don't know. Increasingly I think the global order needs a hegemon to underwrite security and trade. The US used to play that role and took it too far in various places (e.g. Iraq invasion, random acts of terror in the military that weren't properly investigated and sanctioned etc) but I don't think they had a policy that consisted of systematic oppression. unlike Russia and various strongmen regimes. We're about to enter a messy world as the US retreats into isolation. We'll all be poorer and there'll be more conflict. The Europeans will realise that peace and pacificism was only possible because they free rode on the US security umbrella. Sorry final paragraph of this turned into a political rant that was waaay outside the scope of this book, although Bowen touches on similar themes.
October 14, 2023
Devastating. A good primer on understanding current dynamics.
January 12, 2023
Read a little under half of this book while touring Israel-Palestine for work (The New Israel Fund), which definitely changed my perception of it. Kept returning to the story about the gas canisters, especially when touring East Jerusalem with the excellent NGO Ir Amim.
This book is trying to do two things - be a comprehensive history of the middle east & compelling personal story by Bowen. I think for me it often falls through the cracks, not creating a cohesive narrative around either.
I certainly don’t regret reading it, but i think i need to read a lot more about all of the topics discussed - perhaps inevitable when trying to cover all of the middle east in one book.
This book is trying to do two things - be a comprehensive history of the middle east & compelling personal story by Bowen. I think for me it often falls through the cracks, not creating a cohesive narrative around either.
I certainly don’t regret reading it, but i think i need to read a lot more about all of the topics discussed - perhaps inevitable when trying to cover all of the middle east in one book.
July 6, 2023
I am very new to the subject and I found this book a good introduction and overview of the complicated history and politics of the region.
March 18, 2024
I listened to this incredibly detailed and well-constructed account on audio, to try to understand what is going on in the Middle East. It can be hard to follow, especially if your attention wanes for a moment. Replaying many chapters for a second time helped me absorb the flow. Bowen weaves individual stories through the major events, illustrating the direct impact of macro events on those caught in the line of fire. He says the “individual tragic stories” together add up to a “collective catastrophe”.
For 600 years the Ottoman Empire ruled the Balkans and the Middle East. This came to an end after World War I when Britain and France divided up the former empire. The Balfour declaration of 1917 promised Palestine to the Jews, while simultaneously recognizing that the rights of existing non-Jewish communities in Palestine should also not be compromised. This contradictory policy set the foundation for today’s problems.
Generally, there is a chapter dedicated to each country, though of course there is much interplay.
Among some of my key takeaways are:
• The Middle East is where Europe, Asia and Africa converge, and it has been ripe for power play over the years. As Bowen describes it, these countries are essentially “pawns on the global chessboard”. The region is of great strategic importance in terms of its location, its capabilities (Suez Canal) and its resources (oil of course). In the promotion of self-interest, the ongoing meddling of the UK, France, Russia, and the US have a lot to answer for.
• The US dethroned the Middle East dictators (Hussein, Gaddafi) without an alternative plan. Their failure to replace these dictators, who had a semblance of control over ‘rebels’, opened a vacuum from which Al Qaeda and Isis continue to thrive.
• The post 911 war by the US in Iraq had the opposite effect of eradicating al-Qaeda, instead Bowen illustrates how it turned Iraq “into an incubator of Islam extremism”. Furthermore, in hindsight, if the US response had focused solely on crushing al-Qaeda, the subsequent years in the Middle East may have been very different - instead the US entered a war with NO clear ambition that dragged on with huge consequences across the whole Middle East.
• Both Palestinians and Kurds transcend geographical boundaries residing across multiple countries and continue seeking a homeland in the region.
• Conflict between Israel Jews and Palestinian Arabs has been, in many respects, a war between the superpowers that support them. This perpetual conflict continues to leak poison into the whole region. It never stops but only seems to increase and subside in intensity.
• Israel controls entry and exit from Gaza, so it is often referred to as the world’s largest jail. Living in Gaza reads like a permanent state of “covid restrictions” – residents can only move around in a restricted area and have access to a limited set of activities.
I found Yassar Arafat to be one of the most intriguing characters in the book. It was in him that the political and fighting forces merged. He could speak both the language of war and of politics, powerfully illustrated in the speech he delivered to the United Nations (New York 1974). “Today I have come bearing an olive branch and a freedom-fighter's gun. Do not let the olive branch fall from my hand.” This moment may have represented a great opportunity for peace in the region, but such an outcome was not to be.
The story of Lebanon is also fascinating. There are 18 organized sectarian groups in Lebanon, all officially recognized in the constitution. As Bowen describes, this makes Lebanon like a mini circuit board of the Middle East, where all sects merge. It is this diversity which makes Lebanon simultaneously beguiling and troublesome.
Given the perpetual stream of daily news coming from the Middle East, this book is a masterpiece in taking the reader through the journey of interconnected events, religions, and nationalities, to make some sense of the complexity. It is quite overwhelming and leaves one none the wiser as to how such deeply embedded conflict could be resolved.
For 600 years the Ottoman Empire ruled the Balkans and the Middle East. This came to an end after World War I when Britain and France divided up the former empire. The Balfour declaration of 1917 promised Palestine to the Jews, while simultaneously recognizing that the rights of existing non-Jewish communities in Palestine should also not be compromised. This contradictory policy set the foundation for today’s problems.
Generally, there is a chapter dedicated to each country, though of course there is much interplay.
Among some of my key takeaways are:
• The Middle East is where Europe, Asia and Africa converge, and it has been ripe for power play over the years. As Bowen describes it, these countries are essentially “pawns on the global chessboard”. The region is of great strategic importance in terms of its location, its capabilities (Suez Canal) and its resources (oil of course). In the promotion of self-interest, the ongoing meddling of the UK, France, Russia, and the US have a lot to answer for.
• The US dethroned the Middle East dictators (Hussein, Gaddafi) without an alternative plan. Their failure to replace these dictators, who had a semblance of control over ‘rebels’, opened a vacuum from which Al Qaeda and Isis continue to thrive.
• The post 911 war by the US in Iraq had the opposite effect of eradicating al-Qaeda, instead Bowen illustrates how it turned Iraq “into an incubator of Islam extremism”. Furthermore, in hindsight, if the US response had focused solely on crushing al-Qaeda, the subsequent years in the Middle East may have been very different - instead the US entered a war with NO clear ambition that dragged on with huge consequences across the whole Middle East.
• Both Palestinians and Kurds transcend geographical boundaries residing across multiple countries and continue seeking a homeland in the region.
• Conflict between Israel Jews and Palestinian Arabs has been, in many respects, a war between the superpowers that support them. This perpetual conflict continues to leak poison into the whole region. It never stops but only seems to increase and subside in intensity.
• Israel controls entry and exit from Gaza, so it is often referred to as the world’s largest jail. Living in Gaza reads like a permanent state of “covid restrictions” – residents can only move around in a restricted area and have access to a limited set of activities.
I found Yassar Arafat to be one of the most intriguing characters in the book. It was in him that the political and fighting forces merged. He could speak both the language of war and of politics, powerfully illustrated in the speech he delivered to the United Nations (New York 1974). “Today I have come bearing an olive branch and a freedom-fighter's gun. Do not let the olive branch fall from my hand.” This moment may have represented a great opportunity for peace in the region, but such an outcome was not to be.
The story of Lebanon is also fascinating. There are 18 organized sectarian groups in Lebanon, all officially recognized in the constitution. As Bowen describes, this makes Lebanon like a mini circuit board of the Middle East, where all sects merge. It is this diversity which makes Lebanon simultaneously beguiling and troublesome.
Given the perpetual stream of daily news coming from the Middle East, this book is a masterpiece in taking the reader through the journey of interconnected events, religions, and nationalities, to make some sense of the complexity. It is quite overwhelming and leaves one none the wiser as to how such deeply embedded conflict could be resolved.
March 2, 2024
For me, this comes somewhere between 3 and 4, and probably on the higher end. It feels harsh to give it a 3.
This was a great insight into the Middle East centred around conflicts, revolutions and insurgency. It lays bare the role of Britain, US and other colonial powers for tearing apart the Middle East, invading but not having a plan for stability. However they cannot solely be responsible, poor governance, corruption and authoritarianism all contributed to a boiling pot which created the conditions for extremism to thrive.
Whilst it’s takes a chapter on each Middle Eastern country (the majority at least) it told the sometimes lesser story of the Kurds, and pulls all the threads together to understand the Israel- Palestine conflict with a host of regional states and groups getting involved.
I enjoyed reading this, it’s written fantastically. A good non academic read.
This was a great insight into the Middle East centred around conflicts, revolutions and insurgency. It lays bare the role of Britain, US and other colonial powers for tearing apart the Middle East, invading but not having a plan for stability. However they cannot solely be responsible, poor governance, corruption and authoritarianism all contributed to a boiling pot which created the conditions for extremism to thrive.
Whilst it’s takes a chapter on each Middle Eastern country (the majority at least) it told the sometimes lesser story of the Kurds, and pulls all the threads together to understand the Israel- Palestine conflict with a host of regional states and groups getting involved.
I enjoyed reading this, it’s written fantastically. A good non academic read.
April 24, 2024
Great read on the Middle East. Some incredibly moving stories from across the region and some real insight on the reality of life there. Recent developments mean there is space for more but it gives a great background to why the troubles seen today exist in the way they do.
December 28, 2023
I wanted to read this book to learn more about the roots of the various conflicts in the Middle East but in particular the ongoing Israel/Palestine conflict. Who better to tell that history than BBCs correspondent in the Middle East, Jeremy Bowen. It’s a sombre tale in which new conflicts arise from the embers of previous wars and unresolved disputes have stolen entire generations. It’s also tragically clear that western meddling was rarely for altruistic reasons and the poorest people were merely pawns in a big geopolitical chess game.
It’s hard to feel any hope from reading this book as additional chapters are being written daily in Gaza and the effects of the radicalisation caused by this last war conflict are yet to be felt.
It’s hard to feel any hope from reading this book as additional chapters are being written daily in Gaza and the effects of the radicalisation caused by this last war conflict are yet to be felt.
January 29, 2024
Very well written, informative about the wider issues and history of the region, without ever losing sight of the normal people who suffer because of these international power plays.
May 24, 2024
*4.5
Am amazing resource very well written
Am amazing resource very well written
January 7, 2024
Essential reading before opening one's mouth about the Middle East. Full of robust historical reporting, pinches only of blunt and dispassionate commentary, and perfectly pitched and un-self indulgent vignettes of front-line war reporting.
January 28, 2024
Hugely informative and beautifully written.
June 12, 2024
A powerful and comprehensive insight into the modern history of the Middle East. I wanted to understand that region of the world in more detail, especially with the current events, and this book delivered just that.
Jeremy Bowen is a well-respected political journalist who's provided an unbiased and detailed overview of the continent. My favourite parts of the book are his personal anecdotes that reveal his close encounters with danger. He truly depicts the terrifying realities of the life of normal people in the ME, and he does so with understanding and compassion.
This book should be read by everyone!
Jeremy Bowen is a well-respected political journalist who's provided an unbiased and detailed overview of the continent. My favourite parts of the book are his personal anecdotes that reveal his close encounters with danger. He truly depicts the terrifying realities of the life of normal people in the ME, and he does so with understanding and compassion.
This book should be read by everyone!
May 1, 2024
I do not know much about politics and do not follow them but this book is an excellent way to learn about Middle East states and their recent history. It is very easy to read even though it is a tough book with strong messages. Bowen uses his experience as BBC's war correspondent to unveil the story of the countries and their people. We travel in Iraq, Iran, Syria, Egypt, Israel and Palestine, Afghanistan, Yemen, Libya. He sets some things straight about the intervention of the West, mainly United states and United Kingdom, and also Russia. He clears many thinks about the Israeli Palestinian conflict although the book reaches 2022 so it ends before the start of the recent war. The message he wants to get through at the end is that we all should care and it is true.
February 27, 2024
This is a superb personal overview of the Middle East written by a journalist who has reported from the front lines for over 30 years.
I bought this book when I returned from a wonderful holiday in Jordan in May 2023, wanting to know more about the area we had visited. We spent the last days of the holiday at a Dead Sea resort, bobbing in its waters and looking across at Israel on the other side. To the north lay Syria and Lebanon, to the west Iraq and to the south Saudi Arabia. We had loved every moment of our holiday, glorying in the astonishing history and enjoying the food and hospitality. Within 6 months Hamas had brutally killed and taken hundreds of Israeli hostages and Israel had hit back with an astonishingly brutal attack on Gaza, an attack that continues as I write this.
This book is a superb guide to the region and gave me a much better idea of the complexity of its politics. Unlike his BBC reports, Jeremy Bowen is not neutral in the way he writes. His poignant chapters on Gaza, written the year before this latest atrocity, are almost too hard to read. The sense of utter despair, of never-ending violence, of the deaths of children on every side. Bowen has met the leaders of all the Middle East countries and conveys their charisma, power, and corruption. He explains the harm caused by decades of Western interference in the area, the complicated blend of religion and politics that constantly undermines fragile attempts at peace, and the destruction caused by war.
But where he really excells is in the stories of the ordinary people caught up in this hell of war and destruction. He vividly describes how vibrant places have been turned to dust, families torn apart, whole neighbourhoods destroyed. Another generation is being raised to hate, and he conveys the despair of the bereaved, the plight of the refugees, and the fading of hope.
This is a book that everyone would benefit from reading. As Jeremy Bowen concludes, these "are everybody's problems, and they should not be ignored."
I bought this book when I returned from a wonderful holiday in Jordan in May 2023, wanting to know more about the area we had visited. We spent the last days of the holiday at a Dead Sea resort, bobbing in its waters and looking across at Israel on the other side. To the north lay Syria and Lebanon, to the west Iraq and to the south Saudi Arabia. We had loved every moment of our holiday, glorying in the astonishing history and enjoying the food and hospitality. Within 6 months Hamas had brutally killed and taken hundreds of Israeli hostages and Israel had hit back with an astonishingly brutal attack on Gaza, an attack that continues as I write this.
This book is a superb guide to the region and gave me a much better idea of the complexity of its politics. Unlike his BBC reports, Jeremy Bowen is not neutral in the way he writes. His poignant chapters on Gaza, written the year before this latest atrocity, are almost too hard to read. The sense of utter despair, of never-ending violence, of the deaths of children on every side. Bowen has met the leaders of all the Middle East countries and conveys their charisma, power, and corruption. He explains the harm caused by decades of Western interference in the area, the complicated blend of religion and politics that constantly undermines fragile attempts at peace, and the destruction caused by war.
But where he really excells is in the stories of the ordinary people caught up in this hell of war and destruction. He vividly describes how vibrant places have been turned to dust, families torn apart, whole neighbourhoods destroyed. Another generation is being raised to hate, and he conveys the despair of the bereaved, the plight of the refugees, and the fading of hope.
This is a book that everyone would benefit from reading. As Jeremy Bowen concludes, these "are everybody's problems, and they should not be ignored."
September 24, 2023
Interesting, but not great
This is a kaleidoscopic, or perhaps better panoramic, book about the Middle East of the past three decades. It is an interesting read; but it is not a great read. It is certainly not the author’s best book. One of the things that brings it down. is that, at the end of the day, the author puts most of the blame for the Middle East’s problems on outside forces. Outsiders may not be innocent, but the inhabitants of the region also have agency. By denying that, the author perpetuates the picture of the Arabs as victims of a hostile world, a picture they love to paint of themselves, but one which is still not entirely true.
This is a kaleidoscopic, or perhaps better panoramic, book about the Middle East of the past three decades. It is an interesting read; but it is not a great read. It is certainly not the author’s best book. One of the things that brings it down. is that, at the end of the day, the author puts most of the blame for the Middle East’s problems on outside forces. Outsiders may not be innocent, but the inhabitants of the region also have agency. By denying that, the author perpetuates the picture of the Arabs as victims of a hostile world, a picture they love to paint of themselves, but one which is still not entirely true.
April 6, 2024
My first 5 star read of the year! Really enjoyed this one, I learnt a lot, felt a lot and the picture pages in the middle did a good job of breaking up the pages of words !!! Recommend to everyone to give it a go as I felt much more informed and empathetic to the things going on in the Middle East; a very difficult part of our world.
I’ve always thought of myself as a fiction girl but this has made me wonder : am I a non fiction girl? Only time will tell! Time for book number 4 (spoiler alert: it’s fiction ;) )
I’ve always thought of myself as a fiction girl but this has made me wonder : am I a non fiction girl? Only time will tell! Time for book number 4 (spoiler alert: it’s fiction ;) )
November 4, 2023
The book is a fantastic primer on the modern context of a long history of the middle east as a region. As an Indian, who never really knew much about it except for the big events like 9/11 and the following Afghan war, or the subsequent Iraq war, or a general awareness of Isael/Palestine being a hostile zone (mostly because I had a class mate who's name was Yaseer Arafat), I didn't really know much. Over the years as I got more involved with news, geo-political reading, business reading, I figured out more. But I really didn't have a proper high-level overview that would atleast give me some context of the myriad news articles I read. For someone like me - this book was really, really good.
See, the thing is - "Middle-east" is hardly the monolith it might feel like because of the collective noun we use for it. The countries making up the middle east are as varied as they get. As an Indian, I have used the line of my country being comprised of distinct regions that are different from each other like separate countries and yet we work together. But that analogy doesn't work for Middle-east. India, as a union of states, is a lot more homogenous than the "Middle-east" as a region is. It can vary significantly in terms of its governance, alliances, theological views, economics, general living standard and general stability. What it's united in, perhaps, is that it more or less got relentlessly exploited by western and russian geo-politics. I suppose a new chapter is unfolding with China entering that fray. You get a very good broad picture view of the western indulgences that propped up dictators, removed them, installed new ones, placed trade restrictions, broke deals and dropped bombs on them.
The book was on my to-read list since it came out last year - but the current Hamas attacks, and the subsequent Israel bombing of Palestine did make me pick this up a little more urgently. The situation is grim there right now - but it feels hopeless to know it has been grim for a long time. I just don't understand how do people in Palestine continue to survive with so many restrictions, without any long standing government allowed to function. It's heart-breaking to know that human beings cannot resolve such conflicts because of what? Land ownership? Religion? Past promises? Anyways... better minds than mine are ruminating on this, so I will let them. This book gives a detailed enough picture of the history of the conflicts, and is worth a read.
The details on the "Arab Spring" of 2011 onwards is detailed out in this book too. I knew some of those uprisings, but cocooned in the stories of Indian media and politics, going through its own tumoultous phase in the aftermath of 2008 crisis leading up to 2014.... I never really read about all the uprisings as a shift in the powers in the Arab world. To read about them all put together her was very useful.
Jeremy Bowen has led a rather scary life. I can't imagine being so active in so many war zones and emerging alive at the end of it! Must be terrifying being his partner or parent or kid or a friend. This is a useful book he has written. I got a bit lost in between when he would flip across timelines in his prose - that part didn't work well in an audiobook format, but overall it was easy to get the dates/times/places in check.
A highly recommended book for anyone who wants to start reading about the recent history of the middle-east region.
See, the thing is - "Middle-east" is hardly the monolith it might feel like because of the collective noun we use for it. The countries making up the middle east are as varied as they get. As an Indian, I have used the line of my country being comprised of distinct regions that are different from each other like separate countries and yet we work together. But that analogy doesn't work for Middle-east. India, as a union of states, is a lot more homogenous than the "Middle-east" as a region is. It can vary significantly in terms of its governance, alliances, theological views, economics, general living standard and general stability. What it's united in, perhaps, is that it more or less got relentlessly exploited by western and russian geo-politics. I suppose a new chapter is unfolding with China entering that fray. You get a very good broad picture view of the western indulgences that propped up dictators, removed them, installed new ones, placed trade restrictions, broke deals and dropped bombs on them.
The book was on my to-read list since it came out last year - but the current Hamas attacks, and the subsequent Israel bombing of Palestine did make me pick this up a little more urgently. The situation is grim there right now - but it feels hopeless to know it has been grim for a long time. I just don't understand how do people in Palestine continue to survive with so many restrictions, without any long standing government allowed to function. It's heart-breaking to know that human beings cannot resolve such conflicts because of what? Land ownership? Religion? Past promises? Anyways... better minds than mine are ruminating on this, so I will let them. This book gives a detailed enough picture of the history of the conflicts, and is worth a read.
The details on the "Arab Spring" of 2011 onwards is detailed out in this book too. I knew some of those uprisings, but cocooned in the stories of Indian media and politics, going through its own tumoultous phase in the aftermath of 2008 crisis leading up to 2014.... I never really read about all the uprisings as a shift in the powers in the Arab world. To read about them all put together her was very useful.
Jeremy Bowen has led a rather scary life. I can't imagine being so active in so many war zones and emerging alive at the end of it! Must be terrifying being his partner or parent or kid or a friend. This is a useful book he has written. I got a bit lost in between when he would flip across timelines in his prose - that part didn't work well in an audiobook format, but overall it was easy to get the dates/times/places in check.
A highly recommended book for anyone who wants to start reading about the recent history of the middle-east region.
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