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9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
An Eye-Opener, 16 April 2003
By A Customer
David-Pryce Jones is an acknowledged authority on the Middle East, and was a war correspondent in the 1967 and 1973 wars with Israel, but his interpretation of the Arabs is rigorously partisan and uncompromisingly merciless in its pursuit of the truth. This pursuit, it turns out, is very difficult -- the norms of Arab politics are so far removed from what we in the West take for granted that virtually nothing uttered by any Arab politician can be interpreted at face value. In public, says Pryce-Jones, every word is carefully judged to maximize advantage to the speaker in what the author calls the 'power-challenge' dialectic that constitutes the single, unshakeable rule of Arab society. Words such as 'nationalism', 'democracy', 'compromise' and 'socialism', much uttered by successful Arab dictators past and present, are, in fact, meaningless, targeted more to pique European feelings of liberal post-colonial guilt (thus raising the status of the speaker in an ongoing calculus of 'shame' and 'honour') than to alleviate the suffering of the people at home. The result, in Europe, has to romanticize and fundamentally misunderstand the Middle East. The result in the Arab world is far worse -- despite immense oil wealth, most Arabs live in poverty and fear, subject to the whim and waste of an absolute ruler (whether his title is Sultan, King, Emir or just President, it makes no difference), with no recourse to representative government or even the law -- because government and law resides completely with the ruler, whose rule is invariably violent. In making such accusations of the Arabs, one could, of course, accuse David Pryce-Jones of falling into the very same 'Eurocentrism' with which he damns liberal western consciences -- there are times when his interpretation of every last scrap of Arab politicking as a manifestation of the power-challenge dialectic seems repetitive, even forced. On the other hand, the even-handed treatment of all concerned (he is as scathing of Russians and Israelis as he is of Arabs and Europeans) suggests that what he has to say is nothing but the truth -- inasmuch as any truth can be gleaned from the snakepit of intrigue that constitutes the Arab way of doing things. If so, then the picture is uniformly depressing: in sum, politics in the Arab world is like mafia gang warfare magnified to a hideous degree: the tales of double-dealing, nepotism, corruption, savagery, conspiracy and murder make the Corleone dynasty look positively timid. Although the book was published in the late 1980s, before the present Intifada in Palestine and, of course, the recent Iraq war, it could hardly seem more timely. It exposes the Arab position in all its conflicted ambiguities, and offers some extremely unwelcome lessons for anti-war protestors, who -- in the light of this book -- can only be seen as the dupes of yet another Arab stratagem. (Indeed, just before the Iraq war, David Pryce-Jones said as much in an editorial in the Sunday Telegraph). Essential reading for anyone interested in what is really happening behind the headlines.
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12 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The key to understanding the Middle East, 10 Jul 2002
By A Customer
If you want to understand why 9/11 happende read this book. It is learned and well argued, with numerous facts and historicla insight. At the same time it is not haevy reading. On the contrary, the book is as absorbing as a thriller, and as beautiflly written as the best of novels.
The author explains the realities of the Middle East politics, backing it with a great deal of historical information and interesting facts about the origins of active palyers today, their scheming and relations between the. The book supplies answers tot he questions asked by Westerners and Arabs alike:Why with all their vast lands, oil riches and large population are the 21 Arab state so dependent on the West for all their material goods wich they import, why are they governed by corrupt and cruel despots? Pryce-Jones shows that the use of words like 'nationalism', 'socialism' and 'democracy' is just for Western consumption. The existing rulers reached their positions through ruthless sturggle and killing of the former holders. The minute they bbecame rulers, they are in the look out for conspirators against them, real and imaginary. Atrocities against their enemies are something to be proud of, as it reaffirms their position as rulers. The honour -shame system also forces Arabs to look for somebody to accuse for the backwardness of Arab countries- it used to be Britain, now it is America and Israel. This book is an eye opener. Ignore the banalities that 'expers' in the media keep repeating. Do not believe what the politicians say about grievances and justice, the key for their real motivations is in this book.
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6 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
superb, 3 Nov 2005
I lived in an Arab country for two years. I learnt one big lesson: cultures differ, deeply. And some are better than others, in some respects at least. There is much nonsense written about the Middle East. Edward Said is probably the most mendacious and influential figure in the field (or was), and is representative of a type that Westerners who go to the Arab world will encounter again, and again, and again. He was priviged, self-pitying, could not admit to any mistakes, flew into a rage whenever anyone contradicted him, felt in competition with the entirety of Western civilization (because he couldn't join into it, that would be "shaming"), yet is more Westernised-than thou to other Arabs, etc. This book, which I read after my sojourn in Arabia, hits the nail on the head. It is a mistake to think the book is racist, stereotypical, and so on. It is not. On the contrary, it examines the damage that Arab values are doing to Arabs themselves. There are many charming and enjoyable aspects of living in Arabia, but if you go, make sure you read this book first. Indispensable.
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