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Power, Faith, and Fantasy: America in the Middle East: 1776 to the Present
by: Michael B. Oren

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Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours Binding: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 327.73056
EAN: 9780393330304
ISBN: 0393330303
Label: W. W. Norton
Manufacturer: W. W. Norton
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 800
Publication Date: February 05, 2008
Publisher: W. W. Norton
Studio: W. W. Norton
Sales Rank: 13151

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Editorial Review:

Product Description:
The history of America's political, military, and intellectual involvement in the Middle East from George Washington to George W. Bush. "Will shape our thinking about America and the Middle East for years."—Christopher Dickey, Newsweek

From the first cannonballs fired by American warships at North African pirates to the conquest of Falluja by the Marines—from the early American explorers who probed the sources of the Nile to the diplomats who strove for Arab-Israeli peace—the United States has been dramatically involved in the Middle East. For well over two centuries, American statesmen, merchants, and missionaries, both men and women, have had a profound impact on the shaping of this crucial region. Yet their story has never been told until now. Drawing on thousands of government documents and personal letters, featuring original maps and over sixty photographs, this book reconstructs the diverse and remarkable ways in which Americans have interacted with this alluring yet often hostile land stretching from Morocco to Iran, from the Persian Gulf to the Bosporus. Covering over 230 years of history, Power, Faith, and Fantasy is an indispensable work for anyone interested in understanding the roots of America's Middle East involvement today. As Niall Ferguson writes, "If you think America's entanglement in the Middle East began with Roosevelt and Truman, Michael Oren's deeply researched and brilliantly written history will be a revelation to you, as it was to me. With its cast of fascinating characters—earnest missionaries, maverick converts, wide-eyed tourists, and even a nineteenth-century George Bush—Power, Faith, and Fantasy is not only a terrific read, it is also proof that you don't really understand an issue until you know its history." 68 illustrations; 4 maps. With a new afterword for the paperback.

Customer Reviews

Average Rating: out of 5 stars

Rating:

- Power, Faith, and Fantasy.
This book is a fascinating read it's not just another long boring, cut and dry read. Power, Faith and Fantasy is informative and it keeps you interested the whole time. I found myself looking forward to having reading time for this book.

Rating:

- A solid comprehensive survey of the history of US involvement in the Middle East
Michael Oren's POWER, FAITH AND FANTASY, a study of the United States' involvement in the Middle East since 1776, is an eye-opening read. Just be prepared to carve out some time to have your eyes opened. While consistently fascinating and well worth reading if you have any interest in why we are where we are in the morass of Middle Eastern politics, the book is not a quick read due both to its length and the density of its prose.

The vast majority of the book focuses on the period from American independence in 1776 through the declaration of Israeli independence in 1948 because, according to Oren, there has not been a quality overview of that period placed in print before. His study of that period is comprehensive, relating the experiences of minor diplomats and missionaries alongside ... Read More

Rating:

- Learned piece of historical writing
From the founding of the USA in 1776 and the Ottoman Empire to today's Middle East, Oren writes clearly and compellingly about the USA and that area of the world. The detail is illuminating, the dispassionate scholarly approach is welcome, (there appears no political bias). It would be hard to imagine a better written or more complete history of the US and its continued involvement in the region. From the Ottoman Empire to its collapse in WWI, the ensuing colonial establishment by Europe and Russia, the massive need of the world for the oil of the region, the fated rise of Zionism, the battle waged to keep Russia from gaining control, the fall of secular control and the rise of fundamental Islam in many states, the continued failure despite so many efforts to bring peace to the area, the upsurge in ... Read More

Rating:

- Adds depth to understanding past and present Mid East/US relationship
The title says it all. A wonderful exploration of our country's dealings with the countries and cultures of the Middle East from the time America was born until present day. Lots of fascinating historical information and personal stories. Reading the book added depth to my understanding of our historical relationship with the Middle Eastern countries and why we are where we are in the Mid East today. Well written and well worth the read.

Rating:

- Thanks for writing this!
Excellent. A true addition to my understanding of the world.

Should be required reading for anyone in public office.

go read it now.

yes, now.

Books : Power, Faith, and Fantasy: America in the Middle East: 1776 to the Present