Yemen

(Hardback)

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Description

Yemen is a country that is critical to U.S. security and our political interests, yet most Americans know virtually nothing about it. This book unlocks its secrets and explains its complexities in simple yet compelling language. A nation with a rich civilization that has spanned 3,000 years, Yemen is the only democratic republic in the Arabian Peninsula. While events in modern-day Yemen are often in international news, most Americans know nothing about this countrynor are there easy-to-read, up-to-date resources for lay audiences. This book fills the gap in the literature. It describes Yemen's geography, economy, politics and government, history, culture, society and contemporary events, presenting a comprehensive but accessible overview of the country from many different anglescoverage that is long overdue. Editor Steven C. Caton has taken care to create a resource that is readily comprehensible to non-specialists such as high school and college students and general readers as well as highly informative for those with previous knowledge about Yemen. His thorough treatment provides synthetic overviews of key topics, discusses and dismisses certain misconceptions about Yemen, offers surprising perspectives on the relatively unknown country, and underscores Yemen's importance to the region and the wider worldboth in ancient times and today.

Reviews

A great reference for those with more than a tourist interest in Yemen or for undergraduate-level students looking for a general overview on the country. * Booklist *
Part of the Middle East in Focus series of country studies, this volume on Yemen fills a gap. That it represents the third Middle Eastern country addressed in the series (and is within the first dozen countries of the worldwide series) shows that the editors understand the importance of this often-overlooked nation. . . . The volume is well illustrated with numerous photographs and several well-chosen maps. * Choice *
An admirably nuanced narrative for Middle East reference collections. * Library Journal *
The third volume in the ABC-CLIO Middle East in Focus (the first two on Saudi Arabia and Egypt) maintains the excellence of quality expected from this prestigious publisher and series. . . . Although it is a reference work, it is not hard to become captivated by the book and read it from cover to cover. . . . Outstanding. * ARBA *

Author Bio

Steven C. Caton, PhD, is professor of contemporary Arab studies in the Department of Anthropology at Harvard University, Cambridge, MA. Caton holds a doctorate in anthropology and linguistics from the University of Chicago.