A Concise History of the Middle East provides a comprehensive introduction to the history of this turbulent region. Spanning from pre-Islam to the present day, it explores the evolution of Islamic institutions and culture, the influence of the West, modernization efforts in the Middle East, the struggle of various peoples for political independence, the Arab-Israel conflict, the reassertion of Islamic values and power, the issues surrounding the Palestinian Question, and the Middle East post-9/11 and post-Arab uprisings.

Table of Contents

• List of Illustrations
• Preface
• 1. Introduction
• Then and Now, There and Here
• Some Points to Anticipate
• Part I: The Rise of Islam to the Zenith of Abbasid Power
• 2. The Middle East before Muhammad
• The Environment
• Persia and Rome
• Dissident Christian Sects
• Rome's Persian Rival
• The Arabs
• Conclusion
• 3. Muhammad and the Rise of Islam
• Muhammad's Early Life
• Confrontation with Pagan Arab Values
• First Revelation
• The Early Muslims
• Meccan Opposition
• The Emigration (Hijra)
• The Struggle for Survival
• Muslim Life in Medina
• Muhammad's Marriages
• Muhammad and the Jews
• Winning Mecca
• Muhammad's Death
• Pillars of Faith: What Do Muslims Believe?
• Pillars of Practice: What Must Muslims Do?
• Other Duties and Prohibitions
• Conclusion
• 4. The Early Arab Conquests
• The Succession Issue
• The Initial Conquests
• The Beginnings of Islamic Government
• Dissension in the Umma
• Uthman's Troubled Caliphate
• Ali's Caliphate
• Changes in the Government of Islam
• Mu'awiya
• Husayn's Rebellion: The Beginning of Shi'ism
• Other Challengers
• Conclusion
• 5. The High Caliphate
• Restoration of the Umayyad Order
• Abd al-Malik's Triumph
• Resumption of the Conquests
• Fiscal Reforms
• The Umayyad Downfall
• The Abbasid Caliphate
• The Building of Baghdad
• Public Piety
• Anti-Abbasid Revolts
• Persians in Power
• Ma'mun's Caliphate
• The Abbasid Decline
• Conclusion
• Part II: The Turkic Empires From the Seljuks to Ottomans
• 6. The Rise of the Shi'a and the Influx of the Turks
• Shi'a Islam in Power
• Islam's Major Sects
• The Turks
• The Seljuks
• Conclusion
• 7. The Crusader and Mongol Invasions
• The Crusades
• Their Beginning
• Muslim Reactions
• The Rise of Salah al-Din
• The Mongol Invasion
• Destruction of the Caliphate
• Mamluk Resistance
• Conclusion
• 8. Islamic Civilization
• The Rules and Laws of Islam
• Islamic Society
• The Environment
• Food, Clothing, and Shelter
• Intellectual and Cultural Life
• Theology
• Mysticism
• Review of Muslim Divisions
• Conclusion
• 9. Firearms, Slaves, and Empires
• The Mamluks
• The Mongol Il-Khanids
• Timur (Tamerlane) and His Heirs
• Gunpowder Technology
• The Ottoman Empire
• Persia Under the Safavids
• Conclusion
• Part III: European Incursions and the Nationalist Reaction
• 10. European Interests and Imperialism
• Ottoman Weakness
• The Reforming Sultans and Viziers
• The European Powers and the Eastern Question
• Conclusion
• 11. Westernizing Reform in the Nineteenth Century
• Egypt's Transformation
• Westernization of the Ottoman Empire
• The Nizam-i-Jedid
• Mahmud II
• Military Defeat and European Protection
• The Tanzimat Era
• Persia Under the Qajars
• Conclusion
• 12. The Rise of Nationalism
• Egyptian Nationalism
• Beginnings of Nationalism
• Revival of Egyptian Nationalism
• Ottomanism, Pan-Islam, and Turkism
• Early Nationalism in the Ottoman Empire
• Turkish Nationalism
• Nationalism in Persia
• Conclusion
• Part IV: World War I and Its Aftermath
• 13. The Roots of Arab Bitterness
• Arab Nationalism
• World War I
• The Postwar Peace Settlement
• Conclusion
• 14. Modernizing Rulers in the Independent States
• Turkey: Phoenix From the Ashes
• From Persia to Iran
• The Rise of Saudi Arabia
• Conclusion
• 15. Egypt and the Fertile Crescent Under European Control
• Egypt's Struggle for Independence
• World War I
• The 1919 Revolution
• British Efforts at a Solution
• The Creation of New States in the Fertile Crescent
• Phony Democracy and False Independence
• World War II
• Postwar Egypt
• Egypt's Era of Political Frustration
• The Egyptian Revolution
• The Final Chapter
• Independence for Lebanon, Syria, and Iraq
• Conclusion
• Part V: The Arab–Israeli Conflict
• 16. The Contest for Palestine
• Origins
• Political Zionism
• The Jews in Dispersion
• How Political Zionism Began
• Early Jewish Settlers
• The Balfour Declaration
• Jewish Immigration and Arab Resistance
• The Growing US Role
• The UN Partition Plan
• The Creation of Israel
• Conclusion
• 17. Israel's Rebirth and the Rise of Arab Nationalism
• Israel's War for Independence
• The War's Aftermath
• The Arab Countries
• Israel's Early Years
• Problems of the Jewish State
• Politics in Israel
• Israel's Foreign Relations
• Middle Eastern Oil
• The Great Powers and the Arab World
• The Suez War
• The Eisenhower Doctrine
• The Contest for Control of Syria
• Lebanon's First Civil War and US Intervention
• The Ideas of Nasirism
• The Ebb of the Pan-Arab Tide
• Arab Socialism and Nasir's Comeback
• Rising Arab–Israeli Tensions
• The Palestine Liberation Organization
• Background to War
• Conclusion
• 18. War and the Quest for Peace
• The June 1967 War
• The War's Aftermath
• UN Peace Efforts
• The Palestinians
• Abortive Peace Efforts
• The War of Attrition
• Political Changes: 1967–1970
• Egypt After Nasir
• The End of the Rogers Peace Plan
• Danger Signs in the Middle East
• Prelude to War
• US Concerns
• Arab Frustrations
• War Preparations
• The October (Yom Kippur) War
• The Superpowers and the Ceasefire
• The War's Aftermath
• Shuttle Diplomacy
• Israel's Domestic Crisis
• Effects of the Oil Embargo
• PLO Power at Its Zenith
• Return to Shuttle Diplomacy
• Lebanon: The Arena for a New Arab Struggle
• The Road to Camp David
• Policy Problems
• Sadat Leads the Quest for Peace
• The Egyptian–Israeli Treaty
• Water Rights and Political Conflicts
• Conclusion
• Part VI: The Islamist Resurgence
• 19. The Reassertion of Islamist Power
• The Changing Role of Religion in Politics
• The Iranian Revolution
• The Monarchy
• Fall of the Monarchy
• Establishment of the Republic
• The Hostage Crisis
• The Struggle for Gulf Supremacy
• The Retreat From Camp David
• The Assassination of Sadat
• Israel's Rising Militancy
• Israel's Invasion of Lebanon
• The Palestinians: Their Struggle and an Elusive Peace
• 20. The 1991 Gulf War and the Peace Process
• The Gulf Crisis
• Iraq's Complaints and Claims
• Iraq's Annexation of Kuwait
• The Crisis of Arab Legitimacy
• The End of Lebanon's Civil War
• The Peace Process in Arab–Israeli Relations
• The Oslo I Accord
• Gains and Losses in the Peace Process
• Islamist Gains and Losses: A 1990s Scorecard
• Conclusion
• 21. The Post-9/11 Decade in the Middle East
• Survey of Terrorism
• Summation on Terrorism
• The Iraq War
• Bush and the Neoconservatives
• The Invasion of Iraq
• The Contest for Palestine (Redux)
• Outsiders’ Involvement
• Conclusion
• Part VII: The Arab Spring and Its Aftermath
• 22. In the Season of Arab Discontent
• Survey of Preexisting Conditions
• The “Arab Spring”
• The Brief “Arab Summer”
• The Prolonged Arab “Fall” and “Winter”
• Conclusion
• 23. The Regional Cold War in the Twenty-First Century
• Sectarianism and the Regional Cold War
• The Fall of ISIS in Iraq and Syria
• Conclusion
• Appendix I
• Appendix II
• Glossary
• Bibliographic Essay
• Bibliographic Web Essay