The Book Depository Black Wave by Kim Ghattas
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Price: £25.33
Brand: The Book Depository
Description: Black Wave : Hardback : Henry Holt & Company : 9781250131201 : 1250131200 : 28 Jan 2020 : The. story of the real roots of the Sunni-Shia conflict in Middle East in the 1979 Iran Revolution that changed the region forever--. The Book Depository Black Wave by Kim Ghattas - shop the best deal online on thebookbug.co.uk
Category: Books
Merchant: The Book Depository
Product ID: 9781250131201
MPN: 1250131200
GTIN: 9781250131201
Author: Oliver Chandler
Rating: 5
Review: In all honesty, the book is not quite what I was expecting, but it turned out to be better! I was anticipating an IR analysis of proxy conflicts, somewhat similar to Christopher Phillips 'The Battle for Syria', but with details about Iran backing Hizbollah in Lebanon and Syria and the Houthis in Yemen, with the Saudi's backing alternative militants and regimes across the regime to counter Iranian influence. While these conflicts are mentioned, this is not what the focus of the book. It is not a traditional IR analysis in that sense. However, do not let that put you off this book. If anything this book has made me realise that a traditional IR analysis alone is insufficient to account for the progression of this rivalry and the current dynamics in the Middle East. This book delves into the ideologies within the various strands of political Islam and how from 1979, the Iranian Revolution and Saudi insecurity over their custodianship of Mecca led to increasingly conservative policies and a proliferation of Salifist ideology and sectarianism. At times some of the links between events in Pakistan or Egypt seemed a bit tenuous for the type of analysis I have been accustomed to in literature on this region, but they serve as examples of how Tehran and Riyad's respective drives towards religious piety transformed the narrative of political debate in the Middle East, culminating in the present conflict zones in Syria, Yemen and Iraq. If you are looking for a detailed deconstruction of foreign meddling in Yemen or Syria, this is not your book (though they are both referenced). However, I would still recommend this book for anyone wanting to learn about the region and about political Islam. The book in written in an eloquent and captivating style, with local stories and local perspectives. I could not put it down!
Author: John Sheldon
Rating: 3
Review: This is definitely an important book. It is thoroughly researched and, on the whole, it is well-written (my only caveat is that the author's journalistic style sometimes seems disjointed and the narrative flow gets disrupted). The strength of the book lies in the stories of individuals and groups. The author manages to bring their beliefs, motivations and actions to life in a fascinating way. The weakness of the book also lies in these stories. In many places, I felt I was drowning in the sheer weight of the facts, names and relationships. Too often, the chapters are overloaded with details. As a result, the book appears to be light on analysis and it is difficult to follow the overall narrative. The initial emphasis on 1979 is very interesting. The rivalry between Iran and Saudi Arabia is the central focus of the book and is covered well. But the author strays into many other conflicts and issues and it is not always clear why she has chosen some and not others. Yemen, Syria, Lebanon (except Hezbollah), Gaza, Afghanistan and Jordan are covered relatively lightly. Pakistan and Egypt receive a lot of attention. Sometimes, I get the sense that the complexities are being treated too simplistically. For example, much of the treatment of Pakistan focuses on President Zia Ul-Haq himself and the other political and religious driving forces are not covered much (I'm not sure that the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) is even mentioned). The history of the PLO and other Palestinian groupings, especially Hamas, doesn't fit neatly into the Iran-KSA divide, and so on. In summary, a great idea. I don't regret reading the book but I did find it hardgoing.
