A History of the Modern Middle East - Softcover

"Perhaps the greatest virtue of the book is the author's sympathetic detachment in his treatment of an ideologically charged history. Always measured in his assessments, Cleveland avoids lionizing and vilifying whether discussing the colonial experience, the rise of nationalism, the struggle for Palestine, the influence of Nasser or the Islamic resurgence." British Journal of Middle Eastern Studies Impressive political history.... Provides a brief but useful exposition of Islam and what the faithful believe is expected of them. New York Times Book Review"

This comprehensive work provides a penetrating analysis of modern Middle Eastern history, from the Ottoman and Egyptian reforms, through the challenge of Western imperialism, to the American invasion of Iraq and Iran's new influence in the region. After introducing the reader to the region's history from the origins of Islam in the seventh century, A History of the Modern Middle East focuses on the past two centuries of profound and often dramatic change. Although built around a framework of political history, the book also carefully integrates social, cultural, and economic developments into a single, expertly crafted account. In updating this fourth edition of the late William Cleveland's popular introductory text, Martin Bunton addresses recent transformative developments in the Middle East, charting the decline in the peace prospects between Israelis and Palestinians, elaborating upon the resurgence of Islam, and devoting a new chapter to 'America's Troubled Moment in the Middle East', which details the aftermath of the Iraq war and Iran's nuclear ambitions.