The ArabsDrawing on his experiences as historian and journalist in the Middle East, Peter Mansfield explores social, political and historical aspects - from the pre-Islamic nomads of Arabia, the life of Muhammad and the rise of Arab power that followed to the Western colonial period, to the tragedy of Palestine and the modern Arab renaissance, reinforced by the power of oil. He shows that the consequences of centuries of struggle for dominance between Christendom and the Islamic world survive to this day in various forms. Bringing events into the 1990s, he explores the causes and consequences of the Gulf War, the continuing conflict over Palestine and the difference in attitude between Arab liberals and fundamentalists as to the future outlook of the Arab world. A section of the book surveys each individual Arab state. The final section considers the Arabs themselves, their characteristics, aspirations and future. |
Contents
Part One The Arab Past | 11 |
Who are the Arabs? | 13 |
The Great Arab Explosion | 35 |
Copyright | |
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Abdul accepted achieved agreement Algeria Arab nationalism Arab nationalist Arab world army Baathists Baghdad became beduin began Beirut Berber Britain British Cairo caliph cent century Christian civil Damascus declared domination eastern economic Egypt Egyptian Europe European favour Feisal forces foreign France French guerrilla Gulf Hashemite important independence interests Iran Iraq Iraqi Islam Israel Israeli Jewish Jews Jordan Jordanian King Hussein Koran Kuwait land leaders Lebanese Lebanon liberal Libya London majority Mamluke ment Middle East military million minister Morocco movement Muhammad Muslim Nasser never North Africa officers oil companies organization Ottoman Empire Palestine Palestinian Palestinian Arabs Pasha Persian political population President Sadat Qaddafy reform régime remained republic revolt rule rulers Saud Saudi Arabia shaikhs social society Soviet Sudan Sudanese Suez Canal sultan Syria territory treaty tribal troops Tunisia Turkey Turkish Turks Union United unity West Western Yemen Zionist