Inside the Arab World - Softcover

Comprehensive, lucid, and frequently insightful...[Field's] expertise in economic reporting shines when he discusses the problems of Saudi Arabia, Algeria and Egypt...He candidly describes [the Arab world's] problems and prospects, providing insightful individual chapters on Algeria's political turmoil, Saudi Arabia's deficits, and the quagmire of Israeli-Palestinian relations. -- Richard W. Bulliet New York Times Book Review From a western viewpoint...'the Arab world will remain a difficult place for a long time.' Just a little less difficult, though, for the newcomer armed with this excellent handbook. -- Edward Mortimer Financial Times When it comes to the Arab world (and, straying beyond his book's title, to non-Arab Iran), Michael Field is strong on both. With a refreshing lack of stridency he charts a course from the decay of the Ottoman empire to the uncertainties of today. Economist Moderate, thoughtful, and far-sighted, Inside the Arab World reminds us of the continuing importance...of the whole Middle East. For seventy years, it says, the Arab world was a failure. Now its intelligentsia demands legitimate government, its middle classes seek economic freedom, and its poor want their just share of the resources. The contest between these aspirations and the forces of religious obscurantism is of decisive interest to us all. -- Michael Sheridan Independent [UK] Michael Field...offers a provocative overview [of the contemporary Arab world] that should stimulate discussion among both specialists and novices in study of the region. -- Don Peretz Middle East Studies Association Bulletin

The first book to include developments since the Gulf War and the historic pact between Israel and the PLO, "Inside the Arab World" gives us a complete and detailed picture of the region as it is today, as well as a clear sense of how Arab affairs have evolved and where they may lead.