The Arabists: The Romance of an American Elite

Rating:
Summary: History of US Policy Professionals in an Important Region
Review: This Robert D. Kaplan book traces the history of those American diplomats who have come to be known as "Arabists," or men and women who are drawn to the cultural, political, or the language of the Arab states. It is well written and thoroughly researched account of this aspect of U.S. relations with the Arab world.

The development of this set of specialists began in the early 19th century, with well born Aristocratic Americans performing mission work in Arabia. Following a common pattern, they were children of privilege, studying at Andover and Princeton, then performing missionary work for Congregationalists or Presbyterians. They developed a great love for Arabs, providing them with the means to improve their lives, such as by founding the American University of Beirut, or in promoting cultural exchanges.

Beyond the first generation of Arabists developed the professional diplomats, representing the United States, though they continued to be enamored of the Arab culture. However, this loves of Arabia soon ran into many realities of the geopolitical climate. Namely, the Unites States' need to support corrupt regimes to ensure a steady supply of oil and even more important, the creation of the state of Israel in 1948 and America's early and strong support. Internal governmental rivalries led to the eventual denigration of Arabists, with a few exceptions as realists and those militantly in support of Israel gained more influence in Middle East policy.

Though slightly dated (published in 1993), this book still provides useful background to the history of US involvement in the Middle East. I recommend it to those interested in reading such a book.

Rating:
Summary: Mixed
Review: Worthwhile in its wealth of information but one must be wary of a book on this topic originally published by a publisher (Atlantic Monthly) whose owner Mort Zuckerman is fanatically pro-Israel. This book does overlook the fact that Arabists have been consistently ineffective far more than the highly questionable assumption that Arabists have been "consistently wrong." Further, it assumes that non-support for Israel by them is some sort of mental disease that results from either anti-Semitism or mysterious thought processes created by learning the Arabic language instead of resulting from the Arabists' close familiarity with the situations of the Palestinians who were creully disgregarded and even more cruelly disposseed in establishing the state. Those facts are not directly addressed at all and in that sense the book "just doesn't get it."