A history of the Middle East : from antiquity to the present day /
Georges Corm ; translated by Hala Khawam.
- 1st English-language ed.
- Reading, UK : Garnet Pub., 2010.
- 229 p. ; 22 cm.
Arabesques of Geography and History 1 Geographic and Human Definitions An area with undefined boundaries Intertwining mountains, deserts, and seas 2 The Middle East: Heart and Crossroads of Civilizations An extraordinary cultural wealth The birth of the city, deities, and writing Population complexity The geology ofcultures in the Middle East 3 The Major Strata of Middle Eastern History Mesopotamian history (also called Babylonian, Chaldean, and Assyrian) The history of Anatolia The Crusades in the Middle East (1096-1291) and the Mongol Conquests (1227-1260) The history ofthe Iranian empires Egypt and the Middle East Part II The Modern Middle East 4 The Fall of Empires and the Rise of Western Powers Decadence of the East, renaissance ofthe West A deeply de-structuring conquest The three main models ofresistance to European domination 5 The Middle East under European Domination European rivalries and new territorial partitions (1798—1918) Direct Anglo—French domination over the Arab world (1919—1956) 6 The Middle East Caught between the Cold War, Oil Resources, and the Arab-Israeli Conflict U.S.—Soviet rivalries in the East The uncontrollable Arab—Israeli conflict and the Nasserite epic The war of October 1973, the rise of Saudi Arabia, and the implosion of Lebanon The inexorable rise ofradical Islam in the Middle East, the Iranian Isolation, and the Iran-Iraq war 7 The First Gulf War and its Aftermath Iraq under trusteeship The impossible emergence of a Palestinian state The re-ignition of conflicts in the Middle East despite Soviet decline 8 The New Middle East under American Control: Hegemony, Democracy, and Terrorism Forced democratization? The Iraqi crisis: pre-emptive war and occupation Resolution 1559: destabilizing Lebanon and encircling Syria The eternal recurrence ofthe Palestinian tragedy Confrontation with Iran Turkey and its relations with the European Union The power vacuum in the Middle East Part III How to Address the Complexity of the Middle East 9 Writing the History of the Middle East: Methodological Difficulties The advent of Islam in the Middle East: causes and consequences Writing national histories, an impossible task The influence ofreligion on historical narratives The necessary rehabilitation of secular historical criteria 10 The Causes Behind the Decadence of Middle Eastern Civilizations Anthropological or historical causes? Western influence: a catalyst for renaissance or for more decadence? The economic and social question Sweeping upheavals