From the first Arab-Islamic Empire of the mid-seventh century to the Ottomans; the last great Muslim empire; the story of the Middle East has been the story of the rise and fall of universal empires and; no less important; of imperialist dreams. So argues Efraim Karsh in this highly provocative book. Rejecting the conventional Western interpretation of Middle Eastern history as an offshoot of global power politics; Karsh contends that the region's experience is the culmination of long-existing indigenous trends; passions; and patterns of behaviour; and that foremost among these is Islam's millenarian imperial tradition. The author explores the history of Islam's imperialism and the persistence of the Ottoman imperialist dream that outlasted World War I to haunt Islamic and Middle Eastern politics to the present day. September 11 can be seen as simply the latest expression of this dream; and such attacks have little to do with U.S. international behaviour or policy in the Middle East; says Karsh. The House of Islam's war for world mastery is traditional; indeed venerable; and it is a quest that is far from over.
#1293341 in Books 2004-08-11Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 8.92 x 1.15 x 5.72l; 1.31 #File Name: 0300105193448 pages
Review
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Resilence and CourageBy Nancy De NapoliExcellent. I have read two of Ms Tec;s books and this is of the same high caliber.15 of 15 people found the following review helpful. Hidden history made visible: a stunning bookBy Anne MiniWhat can I say about Resilience and Courage that the nominating committees for the Pulitzer and National Book Award have not already said? This is an amazing book -- and perhaps its most astonishing achievement is to show inherently depressing historical incidents through a series of admittedly small; but powerfully meaningful; everyday acts of resistance.Ultimately; Tec's most impressive achievement within this elegantly written and extensively researched book is that she manages to weave literally hundreds of first-person accounts of individual suffering into a book that feels empowering to read. The courage of the women (and men as well) whose stories Tec tells is so beautifully human; even under the worst possible circumstances.Tec's undeniable skill as a storyteller (and as a researcher -- the extent of the background research here is vast) draw the reader into her subjects' lives; in an intimate manner that leaves an indelible impression upon the reader. This is not a book you will soon forget; if ever.Some readers may find the introductory chapter's description of research methodology a bit dry (it would have perhaps been better placed into an appendix); but once the case studies begin; the pace is swift and the stories devastating.A bravura performance by one of the world's leading Holocaust scholars!1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Marvelous; Holocaust educators: use it in your classes!By Tom MTec has produced many very valuable texts in her long career. This is perhaps her finest work; and it puts attention on issues that are still under-researched (gender in particular). The book is highly readable; and I've used it in under-grad classes and gotten good feedback from my students. Tec integrates interview excerpts with her own observations; so the human element strongly emerges; and makes the 300+ pages go by fairly quickly. We still need more work on gender/women the Holocaust... Kaplan; Bergen; and Koonz are also very good. Vera Laska wrote an excellent study of Jewish women and resistance; but it's a bit dated now.
