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Inside the Middle East
- Making Sense of the Most Dangerous and Complicated Region on Earth
- Narrated by: Vikas Adam
- Length: 11 hrs and 29 mins
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Inside the Middle East
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Publisher's Summary
Acclaimed Israeli intelligence analyst Avi Melamed has spent more than 30 years interpreting Middle East affairs. His long-awaited Inside the Middle East challenges widely accepted perceptions and provides a gripping and uniquely enlightening guide to make sense of the events unfolding in the region.
Melamed considers all the major power players in the Middle East, explains the underlying issues, and creates a three-dimensional picture, an illustration that connects the dots and provides a fascinating road map. He elucidates developments such as the Arab Spring, the downfall of the Muslim Brotherhood, the rise of ISIS, the epic Sunni-Shiite animosity, the essence of the war in Syria, the role of the Caliphate and Jihad, and the looming nuclear arms race. He also provides a rare opportunity to journey into the psyche of Arab society.
This unparalleled volume is a milestone in our understanding of the Middle East. It is the untold story of the struggles that will shape the region, and the world, for decades to come, and a groundbreaking guide that will shake you to the core, force you to reevaluate your outlook, and give you tips to navigate the future.
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Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall2 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Chris
- 2024-02-15
Interesting but heavily biased & some dodgy claims
For anyone interested in the recent geopolitical history of the region, it is interesting. However a caution, it is filtered through the lens of the Israeli security community.
I don't necessarily dispute all of his historical narratives, but some specific claims had me almost spitting out my water in disbelief - for example, his assertion that Gazans are not living in extreme poverty (citing the presence of a seaside resort) despite readily available statistics on child malnourishment, GDP per capita and food insecurity before the current conflict was weird. Also, while I am no fan of the Muslim Brotherhood, his claim that President Abdul Fatah al-Sisi was "also democratically elected" (like Morsi) in 2014 (he received 97% of the popular vote and opponents were being imprisoned and sentenced to death) was a bit of a stretch...
If I remember correctly, I believe the author claimed that "some" of the international community considers West Bank and East Jerusalem settlements to be illegal, and that seemed to be downplaying the near unanimous opposition (minus former US President Trump).
Generally speaking, I don't like it when historians heavily cherry-pick their evidence to sustain a political narrative (whatever that may be).
Still, it's an interesting book and is useful to gain insight into Israel's current strategic calculus, but it clearly comes with a strong, right-wing ideological bias that could be a bit much at times. It took away from some of the more interesting points that author had to make.
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