Korean Job Discussion Forums

Summer Wine · Joined: 20 Mar 2005 Location: Next to a River

I am currently reading an interesting book about the Middle East. Published in 1962 and only dealing with issues up to that time period. Its a very easy book to understand the historical background of the Middle East and helps to put current issues into perspective.

Summer Wine · Joined: 20 Mar 2005 Location: Next to a River

Finished it. Absolutely would recommend it as a good starting read for anyone who wants to know about the recent history of the Middle East and also as a must read for those who currently post here as knowledgeable individuals of the region and Islam as a whole.

Bulsajo · Joined: 16 Jan 2003

I wasn't going to say anything, but since you bumped it up...

Summer Wine · Joined: 20 Mar 2005 Location: Next to a River

Read it before you criticise it and then we might see eye to eye.

"Those who forget the past are doomed to repeat it"

Bulsajo · Joined: 16 Jan 2003

This is what I'm saying- I won't ever be getting around to reading it, and my criticism has nothing to do with the quality of the book's content.

If it's such a ground-breaking book, then its concepts and analyses will have been picked up and filtered along to other writers/academics. As I already said, I'm not looking for sources for a post graduate thesis, I'm trying to understand the world I live in.
Since I can't read every single book I have to use some discretion- books which are crap (not saying this one is) and books which are 40 years out of date (saying this one is) are ones I will not be reading in the forseeable future.
Sorry, that's just the way it is.

If you really feel like trying to change my mind, post a blurb or a book review of it if, or a really brilliant line or two from it (the one you posted in your OP didn't do anything for me).

On the other hand · Joined: 19 Apr 2003 Location: I walk along the avenue

Bulsajo · Joined: 16 Jan 2003

otoh: no, i haven't read it.

Summerwine:
If anyone wants it it you can point them to these links; it can be found here for as low as $4.77 USD:
AMAZON>COM

Or, you can buy the leather-bound version for only $154 CDN at: chapters-indigo

For the last time I'm going to point out that "Governments And Politics Of The Middle East In The Twentieth Century" was printed in 1962.

It turns out I read one of his books in university: "Theory, politics, and the Arab world : critical responses" 1990. But that was in 91-92.
When I get home I'm going to have pull out my boxes of old textbooks and see if I still have it.

Summer Wine · Joined: 20 Mar 2005 Location: Next to a River

The reason I wrote about it, wasn't to pull your chain. It was because it seems a number of questions and issues raised in the last 10 yrs in the middle east and especially in the last 5 were already discussed, considered and put in practice and the results was put in his book.

If you didn't know the title or the year, you could quite easily understand the issues that he is discussing as of being current topics. I did find his initial discussion of Islam to be one of the most succient explanations that I have read.

I still believe that an ignorance of history and past experiences does lead us to make the same type of mistakes that others have already made. Its up to us as you so eloquently put it to focus on today, but I must add that we can learn from the past.

I don't mean this as a criticism but as a self development. I can believe that my views will never be considered by my Government, but then I must also accept that I dont live in a democracy, but rather a dictatorship, I am not willing to concede on that point, so will try to learn from the mistakes of the past and educate those who don't have the same information.

I also rely on others such as yourself to bring to my attention books that I may not be aware of. So we all grow and develop and learn to live with each other, yes I am a idealist, but if I follow my realist views to their extreme ends, then lets redraw the landscape and start again.