Reset Middle East: Old Friends and New Alliances: Saudi Arabia, Israel, Turkey, Iran

Publishing Details

Classifications

Physical Properties

Description

Peace and democracy in the Middle East have been the aim of world leaders for generations, yet the US, UK or their closest allies in the region have been behind nearly every war in the Middle East in the last century. How did the West get everything so wrong In this concise and readable book Stephen Kinzer takes the reader on a tour of modern Middle Eastern history, highlighting the errors, alliances and betrayals all acted out for what was shortsightedly seen as being in the interest of Western states. His insight and historical knowledge culminate in the startling conclusion that the US has allied with the wrong Middle Eastern states. Rather than Israel and Saudi Arabia, America's natural allies- according to Kinzer's controversial but closely reasoned analysis- should be Iran and Turkey.

Reviews

'At once a stern critique of American foreign policy and a concise, colorful, and compelling modern history of Turkey, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and Israel. A former journalist for The New York Times and The Boston Globe, Kinzer is a masterful storyteller. His cast of characters leaps off the page... Kinzer makes a compelling case... that the road to peace in the Middle East runs through Ankara and Tehran, not Jerusalem.' - NPR.org; 'Kinzer re-imagines the world and America's role in it.' - Robert Lacey, author of Inside the Kingdom; 'Stephen Kinzer is a journalist of a certain cheeky fearlessness and exquisite timing. In his new book he's ahead of the game again. ... This book is a bold exercise in reimagining the United States' big links in the Middle East.' -The Huffington Post; 'Fresh and well-informed... Kinzer argues persuasively that despite their very different governments - one friendly and free, the other hostile and theocratic - both Turkey and Iran are host to vibrant democratic traditions that make them natural long-term partners of the United States... [A] lively, character-driven approach to history.' - The Washington Post

Author Bio

Stephen Kinzer is the bestselling author of 'Overthrow', 'All the Shah's Men', 'Crescent and Star', among others. An award-winning foreign correspondent, he served as The New York Times bureau chief in Turkey. He teaches international relations at Boston University, contributes to The New York Review of Books and writes a world affairs column for The Guardian.