Among all other countries in the West Asia, Syria was the most tranquil one. There was a civil war in its neighbouring country, Lebanon for more than fifteen years. The Palestinians with various militant groups have ben attacking Israel on a continuous basis and the Israeli Defence Force punishing them regularly for their mischievous acts. Iraq on its eastern border, under the worst Arab dictator, was being punished by the international community. On top of these, Syria’s own relations wit...

It took a quarter-century of bad strategy, including more than a dozen years of Western air attacks and invasions in the Middle East, to bring the so-called "Islamic State" into existence. Can we somehow manage to avoid the well-trodden path of overreacting to the provocations of Islamist extremists?With the rise of ISIS, a new style of terrorism that publicly gloats over acts of extreme cruelty has reawakened the fears of the global audience. But in Don't Pani...

The definitive work of literary journalism on the Arab Spring and its troubled aftermathIn 2011, a wave of revolution spread through the Middle East as protesters demanded an end to tyranny, corruption, and economic decay. From Egypt to Yemen, a generation of young Arabs insisted on a new ethos of common citizenship. Five years later, their utopian aspirations have taken on a darker cast as old divides reemerge and deepen. In one country after another, brutal terror...

Demystifies the area's culture, politics, and religionsExplore Middle Eastern history from ancient to modern timesLooking to better understand the Middle East? This plain-English guide explains the importance of the region, especially in light of recent events. You'll meet its people and their leaders, discover the differences and similarities between Arab and Western mindsets, and examine the wars and conflicts - including the Israeli-Palestinian turmoil - that led up to t...

Southern Afghanistan in the early 1990s was in even greater chaos than it is now. The Russians, who had occupied the country throughout the 1980s, were long gone. The disparate ethnic and religious leaders who had united to eject the invaders - the famous mujaheddin - were at each others' throats. For the rural poor of Kandahar province, life was almost impossible.On 12 October 1994 a small group of religious students decided to take matters into their own hands. Led by an...

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • A frighteningly prescient look at Iran’s unchecked growth as a hidden superpower, and the threat the nation will soon pose to the United States—and the world.“The most important book on the Middle East to appear in many years”—Thomas Powers, Pulitzer Prize–winning author of Intelligence WarsAs ex-CIA operative Robert Baer masterfully shows in The Devil We Know, Iran has maneuvered itsel...

Understand the Middle East (since 1945)is an essential guide to one of the world's most turbulent regions. It examines the origins and development of the events which have dominated the headlines for the last six decades. Covering everything from religion and politics in the aftermath of the Second World War to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, war in Iraq and the terrorism of the present day it will change the way you think about the region.NOT GOT MUCH TIME?One, five and ...

While Hamas and Al Qaeda are certainly dangerous to Israel and the West, Hezbollah and its millions of foot soldiers are the premier force in the Middle East.Veteran Middle East correspondent Thanassis Cambanis offers the first detailed look at the surprising cross section of people willing to die for Hezbollah and its uncompromising agenda to remake the map of the region and destroy Israel.Part standing army, part political party, and part theological movement, He...

An essential chronicle of the major conflict of our age from the award-winning author of The Rise of Islamic State, charting the fault lines of the Middle East’s disintegration since 9/11“Quite simply, the best Western journalist at work in the Middle East today.”—Seymour M. HershThe Age of Jihad charts the turmoil of today’s Middle East and the devastating role the West has played in the region from 2001 to the present. B...

A year ago, few people had heard of ISIS-- today, they are a major terrorist threat.Despite numerous warnings from intelligence services, ISIS's rise to power has left countries around the world floundering for solutions. Today, we face a threat that is more violent, powerful and financially stronger than ever before. In this book, Journalist Benjamin Hall will provide insights by answering the basic questions we still don't have the answers to; Who are they? Where...

This is the autobiography of Abdul Salam Zaeef, a senior former member of the Taliban. His memoirs, translated from Pashto, are more than just a personal account of his extraordinary life. My Life with the Taliban offers a counter-narrative to the standard accounts of Afghanistan since 1979. Zaeef describes growing up in rural poverty in Kandahar province. Both of his parents died at an early age, and the Russian invasion of 1979 forced him to flee to Pakistan. He started fighting...

In Patrick Cockburn on Iraq: The West Shakes Up The Middle East, The Independent continues its series of History As It Happened books. Over the past 15 years the US and its allies should have had the greatest interest in maintaining a Middle East status quo. But, as Cockburn details in a series of insightful articles published in The Independent, the West has been the most radical instrument of change in the Middle East.