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Summary: changing my major!
Review: I have not entirely finished reading this wonderful book, and I have already decided to focus on Middle Eastern relations while I am studying political science next year in college. I proudly recomend this book to anyone interested in the world.
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Summary: If you are to read one book on Middle East- this is it.
Review: I have been to the Middle East and was baffled by the incongruities of what I had been taught about the Arabs and Israelis and by what I actually experienced. Because of this, I have been very interested in learning more about this region. "Beirut to Jerusalem" is a book that should be read first if one wants to understand what is really going on. Friedman does a great job of explaining the different groups in the region and what they want and why they want it. Friedman presents this all in a fairly non-biased way. He admits to areas in which he may be biased and allows for the reader to make their own assessments of the situation. The book is both factual and entertaining. I cannot recommend it enough.
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Summary: best pop primer of what's been happening in the Middle East
Review: i never understood the conflict till i read this book...1 year later i can say i've retained much of it, gained such vital insight about ALL the different groups involved in conflict over there. has really helped me follow the news this year.
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Summary: 5 stars is too few
Review: Friedman not only 'gets' the Middle East, but also has the ability to express his understanding of it to the reader. This book was my first foray into the Middle East, other than a few brief surveys of the region in relationship to WWII. Since reading it, I have also read several other books about the Middle East. However, I continue to come back to the passages that I underlined and the notes that I wrote while reading this book. Friedman does more than merely describe historical events. He invites the reader (both the well-versed and the not-so-well-versed in Middle Eastern history) to increase his depth of understanding with his thoughtful use of examples and illustrations. One of the most compelling aspects of Friedman's writing, in my opinion, is that he is passionate about his work. He writes with energy and enthusiasm. If you would like to broaden your understanding of the world in which we live, then I highly recommend this book.
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Summary: Bogs down, now is dated
Review: This book grabbed me from the opening chapter and I really enjoyed the first third or so of the book. The study of the Lebanon situation in the ealry 80's makes this book worth reading overal. However, the book really bogs down in the middle with in-depth analysis of the internal conflicts Israel faces as well as the external. In the end though, I was disappointed that he went through such painstaking detail in examining the conflict from the Isreali side, but there are no interviews or reports from the Palestinian perspective. I wouldn't call it biased, but rather over-examining from one perspective, deficient from the other.
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Summary: It was always a round trip ticket
Review: This book disturbs me. I have studied Israel and Palestine intently and was very near to concluding that the Palestinian Arabs were too far removed from the modern world to deserve consideration in their false cries for national identity. Any humans who hate their enemies more than they love their own children evoke loathing in my world, and therefore are not worth further consideration. Until, that is, I read in Friedman's first hand account that there really is another view. The Jews really are just like the rest of us, and maybe so are the Palestinian Arabs. The ones that have happily sacrificed their children are so few in number that they compare to the fringe in any society and our view is tainted by the media coverage. We see the suicidal acts on Fox News and relate that to the Palestinian people--that must be like relating the Oklahoma bombing to Americans. More Israelis are killed in car wrecks in a day than die in terrorist bombings in a month according to Friedman. I hate myself for bringing up these comparisons, but it does show how out of proportion the news reporting is when hundreds of thousands are dieing at the same time in sub Saharan Africa from disease, famine and war, and we are oblivious. Or at least our priorities lie with the lands of the Bible. We relate to "Sea of Galilee" but not to Uele River. I must admit that I am more easily convinced because the author is a Jew. Damn me. It seems to me that Friedman makes the cases that everything is about economics and that everyone respects power. These are not exactly "liberal" views. The regression that has taken place since his book has unfortunately proved him correct in his pessimistic predictions, and has also proved his wisdom. I think George W. Bush has read and is affected by this book.
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Summary: Changed My View
Review: I cannot express how much I got out of this book. My only regret is not having read it sooner. It was a facinating account of Middle East culture & politics, and of the life of an international journalist tryign to make life normal in rather dangerous terrain. Friedman's analysis of how American Jews view Israel is also right on. Read this book!
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Summary: Understandable Recitation of Roots of Conflict
Review: I only recently read Tom Friedman's book. It must be remembered that the last chapter (update) was written in 1994. Unfortunately, so much has occurred between 1994 and the present in terms of the Mideast conflict that Friedman's book is dated. Since the writing of this volume we have seen the assassination of Israeli Prime Minister Yitzak Rabin, the breakdown of peace talks between the Israelis and Palestinians when PLO Chairman Arafat declined Prime Minister Barak's offer of most of the occupied territories in return for an end to the conflict, and the election of hawkish Ariel Sharon as the newest Israeli Prime Minister. Despite the fact it is dated, Friedman has written a wonderful and useful book. His chapters on life in Lebanon during the Lebanese Civil War is both horrifying and surrealistic. Friedman was finally able to explain to me why our marines in Lebanon became a target for bombs in the early 1980's that killed 240 of them. The answer is that we made the mistake of siding with Christian forces against Islamic militias when we would should have remained neutral. Friedman explains the strange position of Syria in the conflict. Syria desires peace, but does not want to make a formal treaty with Israeli that would recognize the legitimacy of the Jewish state. Friedman recounts little known acts of brutality by the Syrian dictator Assad (now deceased). When certain elements in the country opposed his regime, Assad sent tanks into a city called Hama and utterly destroyed it killing over 10,000 people. Friedman explains that many Arab states are simply the result of arbitrary lines drawn in the desert by the British and French at the end of World War I. Such artificial boundaries impeded the formation of real countries and split up tribes and families in the process. As a result, many of these countries are not cohesive societies. Friedman is pessimistic about peace in the Middleast and after viewing the events of the last year or two this seems strangely prophetic. He does say, though, that the chance exists and that USA can help move the process forward through a combination of diplomacy, behind the scenes pressure, and a willingness to bargain. Its a terrific book. Its well written and achieves the difficult task of holding the attention of people while simultaneously explaining the complicated dynamics of the Middleast conflict.
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Summary: Highly Recommended!
Review: If journalism is the first rough draft of history, Friedman's version may require only a light edit from future generations. Concisely cutting through the relentless pattern of attack and counter-attack that has characterized the Middle East for more than 50 years, Friedman finds a balance between seemingly bloodthirsty enemies. He delves into the cultural development of the peoples of the region from tribal origins, analyzing how their early struggles for survival color current events. We from getAbstract recommend this book as essential reading for any thoughtful person who wants to better understand the historical obstacles to peace in the Middle East.
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Summary: extremely informative!
Review: Thomas Friedman, takes a complex issue and creates a personal, enlightening, educational, well written (if frequently contradictory and redundant) portrait of the Middle East. Friedman, a former American Zionist and current journalist for the New York Times proves himself a throughouly informed, objective, fair and passionate voice as he illuminates the history of the troubled region. Personally, being largely ignorant (sadly, like most Americans) of the region's complex history (except for the sound byte obsessed mainstream media), I am most thankful for Friedman's book. It serves as a solid starting off point for anyone (myself currently) beginning a study of the middle east. A certain must read.
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