Review
[A] splendid recent obituary of the movement.
(
Economist )
Dawisha tackles [an] intimidatingly big subject with success. He has mastered the vast literature on the subject, weeding out the contentious or just plain wrong accounts and integrating the several good studies that get it right. Added to this is his own considerable expertise.
(
L. Carl Brown Foreign Affairs )
[Dawisha] relates the many angles of this rich, complex, and multifaceted subject in a readable, lucid, and economic manner.
(
Israel Gershoni American Historical Review )
Dawisha carefully navigates between various, contested historical narratives to create a balanced, authoritative historical work. He relates the many angles of this rich, complex, and multifaceted subject in a readable, lucid, and economic manner that nonspecialists will appreciate. His book is a comprehensive account of the evolution of Arab nationalism and an insightful evaluation of the role it played in shaping the modern Arab Middle East.
(
Israel Gershoni American Historical Review )
[O]ne of the most comprehensive studies on pan-Arab nationalism to date.
(
Amaney Jamal Political Science Quarterly )
Adeed Dawisha's highly readable, clear-eyed, and sober historical account of Arab nationalism is an important contribution to our understanding of its rapid rise to fame and equally rapid fall from grace. Combining the seasoned insights of a veteran Middle East scholar, recent scholarship, and the memoirs of Arab leaders and intellectuals, Dawisha has produced a major addition to the study of Arab nationalism and the politics of the region.
(
Michael Barnett Middle East Journal )
A wonderfully insightful and analytical study of a significant political phase in the Middle East.
(
Jonas Kauffeldt History: Reviews of New Books )
This book is a major intellectual advance in the study of comparative political ideologies in general, and Arab political thought in particular.
(
Bill S. Mikhail Middle East Policy )
Adeed Dawisha has given us a timely, illuminating and highly readable overview of the history of the Arab national movement, from its origins in the 19th century to the present. His book combines an analysis of the ideas of Arab nationalism and their roots in European thought, with a fast-moving political narrative, full of dramatic ups an downs. . . . [He] brings to his task a rare personal insight, as well as mastery of the voluminous Arabic sources on the subject. There is a great deal of new material here which not only brings events alive, but also leads to fresh assessments and a better-informed understanding of the politics of one of the world's most volatile and violent regions.
(
Avi Shlaim The Observer )
Dawisha has written a fine analysis of the heyday and decline of the ideology of Arab nationalism. . . . With a sound theoretical apparatus and making good use of memoirs by those involved, Dawisha provides an excellent guide to the origins of the movement and the reality behind the rhetoric.
(
Choice )
Review
Adeed Dawisha's analysis of the rise and fall of Arab nationalism in the twentieth century exhibits clarity of exposition, thoroughness, and objectivity. The narrative is exceptional. Dawisha complements his own splendid credentials with excellent use of a large volume of memoir material from Arab leaders. There is no book that does as good a job.
(
William Quandt, University of Virginia )
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