From the First World War to the Arab Spring: What's Really Going On in the Middle East? (Middle East Today)

Starting from the events surrounding the First World War, the author traces the history of the modern Middle East and puts the Arab Spring into context. McMillan breaks down the nuances of Western involvement in the Middle East, alliances and divisions between Middle Eastern peoples and nations, and the role of religion in these conflicts. Offering A Comprehensive, Up-to-date Examination Of The Complex Web Of Wars And Proxy Wars, Revolutions And Counter-revolutions That Are Ripping The Middle East Apart, This Book Puts These Events In Their Historical Context And Leads Readers Through The Labyrinth That Is The New Middle East. This Book Asks The Questions No One Else Will: Why Are There So Many Hereditary Heads Of State In The Middle East When The Prophet Muhammad Did Not Appoint A Successor? Why Do The Western Countries Claim To Want Democracy In The Middle East Yet Support Dictators? Why Did Israel Become A Democracy And The Arab States Did Not? Why Are There So Many Wars In The Middle East? And, Most Importantly, What Happened To The Hope And Optimism Of The Arab Spring? M. E. Mcmillan Offers Fresh Answers To These Difficult Questions, Giving Readers A New Understanding Of What's Really Going On In The Middle East-- Part I: The Tangled Web: Why The Great Powers Of Europe Became Involved In The Middle East -- 1. Sarajevo, Sunday, June 28, 1914 -- 2. The British Empire And The Arab World: Ambition, Austerity And A Class Apart -- 3. The French Empire And The Arab World: From The Crusades To The Civilizing Mission -- 4. The Russian Empire And The Arab World: Religion, Rome And The New Rome -- 5. The German Empire And The Arab World: Family Feuds And Eastern Ambitions -- 6. The Ottoman Empire: How The Arab World Was Won And Lost -- Part Ii: Too Many Straight Lines On The Map: Where, When And Why It Started To Go Wrong -- 7. London, Tuesday, December 21, 1915 -- 8. The Arab World Before The War: The Facts On The Ground -- 9. The Re-making Of The Middle East: Enter The Nation-state -- 10. From Sykes-picot To The Treaty Of Sevres: Betrayals, Backstabbing And Broken Promises -- 11. The Poisoned Legacy And The War's Unanswered Questions -- Part Iii: All Or Nothing: Why All Roads Lead To Jerusalem -- 12. Where To Begin? -- 13. Jerusalem: The Temple Mount -- 14. Jerusalem: The Noble Sanctuary -- Part Iv: Kings, Colonels And Coups: Why There Is A Democratic Deficit In The Arab World -- 15. Cairo, Wednesday, July 23, 1952 -- 16. The Kings, The Colonels And The Political Time Warp: The Return Of The Middle Ages -- 17. I Am The State: Power, Politics And The Cult Of Personality -- 18. The Problem Of Absolute Power: From Stability To Stagnation -- Part V: The Sacred Versus The Secular: Who Speaks For Islam? -- 19. Mecca, Tuesday, November 20, 1979 -- 20. 1979: The View From Tehran -- 21. 1979: Holy War And Unholy Alliances -- 22. The Arab Spring And The Democratic Alternative -- Epilogue Untangling The Web: What Now? M.e. Mcmillan. Includes Bibliographical References (pages 249-257) And Index. "Cover" -- "Title" -- "Copyright" -- "Dedication" -- "Contents" -- "Acknowledgments" -- "Note on Conventions" -- "Introduction Lost in the Labyrinth: Whatâ#x80;#x99;s Really Going On in the Middle East?" -- "Part I The Tangled Web: Why the Great Powers of Europe Became Involved in the Middle East" -- "1 Sarajevo: Sunday, June 28, 1914" -- "2 The British Empire and the Arab World: Ambition, Austerity, and a Class Apart" -- "3 The French Empire and the Arab World: From the Crusades to the Civilizing Mission" -- "4 The Russian Empire and the Arab World: Religion, Royalty, and the New Rome" -- "5 The German Empire and the Arab World: Family Feuds and Eastern Ambitions" -- "6 The Ottoman Empire: How the Arab World Was Won and Lost" -- "Part II Too Many Straight Lines on the Map: Where, When, and Why It Started to Go Wrong" -- "7 London: Tuesday, December 21, 1915" -- "8 The Arab World before the War: The Facts on the Ground" -- "9 The Remaking of the Middle East: Enter the Nation-State" -- "10 From Sykes-Picot to the Treaty of SÃ ̈vres: Betrayals, Backstabbing, and Broken Promises" -- "11 The Poisoned Legacy and the Warâ#x80;#x99;s Unanswered Questions" -- "Part III All or Nothing: Why All Roads Lead to Jerusalem" -- "12 Where to Begin?" -- "13 Jerusalem: The Temple Mount" -- "14 Jerusalem: The Noble Sanctuary" -- "Part IV Kings, Colonels, and Coups: Why There Is a Democratic Deficit in the Arab World" -- "15 Cairo: Wednesday, July 23, 1952" -- "16 The Kings, the Colonels, and the Political Time Warp: The Return of the Middle Ages" -- "17 I Am the State: Power, Politics, and the Cult of Personality" -- "18 The Problem of Absolute Power: From Stability to Stagnation" -- "Part V The Sacred Versus the Secular: Who Speaks for Islam?" -- "19 Mecca: Tuesday, November 20, 1979" -- "20 1979: The View from Tehran" -- "21 1979: Holy War and Unholy Alliances" Front Matter....Pages i-xiii Introduction....Pages 1-5 Front Matter....Pages 7-7 Sarajevo: Sunday, June 28, 1914....Pages 9-14 The British Empire and the Arab World: Ambition, Austerity, and a Class Apart....Pages 15-24 The French Empire and the Arab World: From the Crusades to the Civilizing Mission....Pages 25-37 The Russian Empire and the Arab World: Religion, Royalty, and the New Rome....Pages 39-46 The German Empire and the Arab World: Family Feuds and Eastern Ambitions....Pages 47-54 The Ottoman Empire: How the Arab World Was Won and Lost....Pages 55-65 Front Matter....Pages 67-67 London: Tuesday, December 21, 1915....Pages 69-75 The Arab World before the War: The Facts on the Ground....Pages 77-88 The Remaking of the Middle East: Enter the Nation-State....Pages 89-92 From Sykes-Picot to the Treaty of Sèvres: Betrayals, Backstabbing, and Broken Promises....Pages 93-99 The Poisoned Legacy and the War’s Unanswered Questions....Pages 101-106 Front Matter....Pages 107-107 Where to Begin?....Pages 109-112 Jerusalem: The Temple Mount....Pages 113-127 Jerusalem: The Noble Sanctuary....Pages 129-144 Front Matter....Pages 145-145 Cairo: Wednesday, July 23, 1952....Pages 147-152 The Kings, the Colonels, and the Political Time Warp: The Return of the Middle Ages....Pages 153-165 I Am the State: Power, Politics, and the Cult of Personality....Pages 167-184 The Problem of Absolute Power: From Stability to Stagnation....Pages 185-191 Front Matter....Pages 193-193 Mecca: Tuesday, November 20, 1979....Pages 195-200 Front Matter....Pages 193-193 1979: The View from Tehran....Pages 201-212 1979: Holy War and Unholy Alliances....Pages 213-220 The Arab Spring and the Democratic Alternative....Pages 221-234 Epilogue....Pages 235-236 Back Matter....Pages 237-279 "Offering a comprehensive, up-to-date examination of the complex web of wars and proxy wars, revolutions and counter-revolutions that are ripping the Middle East apart, this book puts these events in their historical context and leads readers through the labyrinth that is the new Middle East. This book seeks answers to pressing, contentious questions: why are there so many hereditary heads of state in the Middle East when the Prophet Muhammad did not appoint a successor? Why do Western countries claim to want democracy in the Middle East yet support dictators? Why did Israel become a democracy while the Arab states did not? Why are there so many wars in the Middle East? And, most importantly, what happened to the hope and optimism of the Arab Spring? M. E. McMillan offers fresh answers to these difficult questions. Firmly grounded in both historical research and insightful analysis of current events, this book gives readers a new understanding of what's really going on in the Middle East"-- Provided by publisher