The Shaping of the Modern Middle East [Paperback]

With this major revision of his classicThe Middle East and the West(1964), a leading Middle East historian of our time offers a definitive and now more-timely-than-ever history of Western-Middle Eastern relations from the late seventeenth century to the present day. Fully revised to cover the volatile developments of the last three decades,The Shaping of the Modern Middle Eastsheds light on the climax and sudden end of the cold war, the disintegration of the Soviet Union, the Arab-Israeli wars, the formation and activities of the Palestinian Liberation Organization, the Egyptian-Israeli peace treaty, the Persian Gulf War, and the Iranian revolution. Illuminating the region's geography, culture, history, language, and religion, Lewis explores the complex and often confusing issues of Arab nationalism, Islamic fundamentalism, and responses and reactions in the Middle East to centuries of Western influence, revealing the subtlety and sophistication of this dynamic civilization as no other scholar can.

1. Sketches for a Historical Portrait
2. The Impact of the West
3. The Quest for Freedom
4. Patriotism and Nationalism
5. The Revolt of Islam
6. The Middle East in International Affairs
Notes
Bibliographical Note