Arafat: From Defender to Dictator

Rating:
Summary: A controversial biography of a controversial politician
Review: I am convinced that there simply cannot be a biography of some one like Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, which would be universally recognized as balanced and objective. The attempt in this book is by Said Aburish, a Christian Lebanese journalist based in London and who holds an American passport. Although the author feels his background qualifies him better than non-Arab writers to write such a book, I well anticipate that some, if not many, readers may see Aburish's backgound alone as enhancing or diminishing his credibility in writing a biography of a controversial personality who has been at the center of a bitterly divisive conflict in the Middle East.

And much as the author strives to a journalistic book, full of information which he presents as factual, his tone is hardly non-partisan and one can hardly describe his portrait of Arafat as flattering. From the beginning, Aburish asserts QUOTE without doubt UNQUOTE that Arafat's birthplace, long shrouded in mystery, is Cairo, and that, notwithstanding the time he spent among Palestinians, Arafat still speaks Arabic like an Egyptian, to the point where QUOTE West Bankers did not like his Egyptian accent and ways and found them alien.UNQUOTE The book is full of other anecdotes of Arafat's personal life, including his uneasy relationship with a father whose funeral he did not attend.

These journalistic anecdotes belie the character of the book which is fundamentally a political commentary on the Middle East conflict. Aburish gives credit to Arafat for three strategic choices: fostering a Palestinian identity to counter Israel rather than relying on Arag governments to do the bidding for the Palestinians; choosing armed struggle which earned the Palestinians world recogntiion; and, later, pursuing (or attempting to pursue, perhaps) a peaceful settlement with Israel. But Aburish is also categorical in his judgment that Araft is unfit to serve as a modern leader of Palestinians, comparing him to QUOTE an uneducated wily Arab chief UNQUOTE and holding him responsible for dictatorial ways which he says has supressed the Palestinian people and created a corrupt entity in the Palestinian Liberation Organization. Not surprisingly, Aburish volunteers a proposed replacement for Arafat in the triumvarate of three well-known Palestinians who have been know as able negotiators in Washington.

With a proper filter to sort fact from opinion and a framework for contextualizing this book, a careful reader can find value in Aburish's otherwise well written biography.

Rating:
Summary: Brilliant pro-Palestinian portrayal of an opportunist
Review: This book goes a long way to explaining why the Palestinian people have yet to find justice. Most 'biographies' of Arafat are caricatures which do not fully explain Arafat - either absurdely critical or absurdly adulatory. Aburish cuts down the middle, demonstrating time after time how Arafat's leadership persists, despite continually snatching defeat from the jaws of victory and despite surrounding himself with a coterie of corrupt hangers-on . Far from being a harsh critic, Aburish simply marshalls all the facts and then lets them (largely) speak for themselves. It is precisely Aburish's deep sympathy for the Palestinian people, yearning for freedom, which makes this biography so devastating. A brilliant portrayal of political corruption and opportunism.

Rating:
Summary: A Refreshingly Palestinian Perspective
Review: Written without the assistance of Arafat, Aburish's biography is an attempt to uncover the mystery of Arafat that has baffled biographers for so long. If nothing else, Aburish wants us to understand how Arafat works. This understanding is limited to a political scope; there is little attempt at delving into Arafat's personal life (e.g. only three paragraphs give consideration to his wife). Aburish concludes with much praise for the strategies of Arafat, but corresponding condemnation for his execution of these strategies (even when Arafat appears to have had success, Aburish often finds ways to attribute it to the mistakes of others, usually Israel). The verdict: Arafat has caused the Palestinians a great deal of trouble in spite of getting their hopes up. He needs to be replaced.
Aburish deserves praise for his command of the English language-further evidence of his ability to communicate with the West. Aburish knows his own fluency in English enough to be justified in poking fun at Arafat's elementary use of the language and his penchant toward outdated clichés. As if to show us how comfortable he is with Western thinking, Aburish has placed a quote from Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman just before the first page of his introduction.
Of great use to students of 20th century Middle East conflict(s) is Aburish's extensive index. This may make the book profitable for partial study and research, even if students do not read it cover-to-cover. For example, the index lists 19 pages that mention Abu Mazen, and makes reference to one page in Through Secret Channels, Mazen's memoirs. On the other hand, Mazen is only indexed by that name. You will not find him if you're just looking under Abu or Mahmoud or Abbas.
Some may be concerned with Aburish's portrayal of Israel, but others will find it "refreshingly negative." You do not expect a Palestinian to praise Israel, and Aburish rarely does. To be sure, there are times when he omits certain information that might have justified Israel's actions. On the other hand, the book is not written as a condemnation of Israel. If anything it is a condemnation of Arafat, and not because of how he hurt Israelis, but because of how he hurt the Palestinians. In the big picture, all his condemnation of Israel is not even as extensive as his condemnation of PNA corruption alone. Seeing that Aburish has no qualms about criticizing fellow Palestinians confirms his relative lack of bias against Israel. Aburish criticizes people and "nations" because of their blunders, not because of their race or creed.
A major downside of the book is that Aburish seems to assume in his readers a broad knowledge of 20th century Middle East history. In other words, this is not the book to read if you're just starting to dabble in the life of Arafat, or even Middle East affairs in general. Readers who have lived through the better part of the 20th century, and have at least made an effort to understand their world, should not have a problem filling in the "gaps" of Aburish's narrative. Younger readers should make sure they've spent some time studying the subject before tackling this book. Backgrounds in the Middle East conflicts (not just Arab-Israeli), chronology and people are prerequisites for reading this book, not results.
Perhaps the greatest problem for readers today is that the book is outdated. Aburish wrote it in 1998, which leaves readers clueless as to Arafat's role in the renewed violence of the last three years. Why then did Aburish write it in 1998? He is, after all, seven years younger than Arafat. Why not wait until Arafat dies? Aburish's stated reasons included the fact in the 5 or so years leading up to 1998 Arafat had undergone a great change in the public eye. He went from being labeled as a terrorist to being a recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize. The fact that Arafat suddenly became "acceptable" to the public tore down the veils of secrecy that had previously restricted biographers. The opportunity beckoned for Aburish to compose his mystery-revealing biography.
As a result, Aburish's biography will remain a thorough analysis of Arafat's behavior in the 60's, 70's, and 80's. It also does an excellent job exploring Arafat's response to Oslo. Even in 1998 Aburish was able to admit-as all agree today-that Oslo had failed. So for a study of Arafat during these 20th century periods, Aburish's book is of tremendous value.
The book is highly recommended for those-as stated earlier-who have a good grasp on the Middle East. Those who have already read a biography of Arafat are even more encouraged to read this one. They'd probably be committing some sort of sin if they don't read it. But for those who don't know much about the Middle East, or don't want to hear a word against Israel, there are more appropriate books available.
I must add one personal note to this review. Current political statements brought Arafat to the cover of every newspaper and many news magazines during the time when I was reading Aburish's book. I was, in effect, flooded with Arafat. This climaxed when one night-perhaps after staying up late reading the book-I dreamt that I actually met Yasser Arafat himself. I won't tell you any details about the meeting, save that Arafat's character was consistent with Aburish's portrayal. In other words, Said Aburish has done such a good job removing the mystery of Arafat in his biography that I felt like I knew Arafat even in my sleep.