{"product_id":"america-s-middle-east-the-ruination-of-a-region","title":"America’s Middle East: The Ruination of a Region","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eAfter Hamas' shocking 2023 attack on Israel, the United States stood firmly behind Israel's near-genocidal war on Gaza, despite widespread moral outrage and significant damage to Washington's global agenda. But Gaza is only the latest paradox in thirty-five years of Middle East policy. How did this pattern develop, why can't policymakers learn from repeated Middle Eastern calamities, and what does Gaza's destruction mean for America's place in the world?\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eMarc Lynch charts the United States' disastrously failed approach to the post-Cold War Middle East, where aspirations for US leadership and a calm region have only produced war, instability and humanitarian catastrophe. Lynch exposes the failure of each president's efforts to transform the Middle East in America's image, or pivot away from the region; Washington's refusal to take seriously the views of Middle Easterners; and its fantasy of forging a regional order 'without' the Palestinian issue.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eMoving between American politics and Middle Eastern realities, this incisive account explains why US policy has not changed despite its horrifying human costs, from Iraq, Lebanon and Syria to Iran, Yemen and Libya.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eFrom the Gulf War to Gaza, a compelling critique of how and why Washington ensnared itself so destructively in the Middle East.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul class=\"a-unordered-list a-vertical\"\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-list-item\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-bold\"\u003eFor readers wanting to know more about the complex history of American interventions in the Middle East, Professor Lynch is an experienced guide\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-list-item\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-bold\"\u003eAnalyses the role of both American domestic politics and the realities of the region on the ground in shaping strategy\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cspan class=\"a-list-item\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-bold\"\u003eMore pressing than ever with recent US interventions\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-list-item\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-bold\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-list-item\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-bold\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003e\u003cspan\u003eReviews\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"a-section a-spacing-small a-padding-small\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e‘Lynch does not argue that the United States has withdrawn from the Middle East. His contention is more consequential: American hegemony has lost its capacity to produce stable regional orders, and US influence is undergoing a process of “structural disintegration”.’ \u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003e― \u003cspan class=\"a-text-bold a-text-italic\"\u003eAl Ahram\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cspan\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e'Full of keenly observed historical detail and trenchant critiques of US policy gone wrong.'\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e― \u003cspan class=\"a-text-bold a-text-italic\"\u003eFinancial Times\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e'[Lynch] is a fierce and compelling voice . . . unsparing in his critique.'\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003e-- \u003cspan class=\"a-text-bold\"\u003eJustin Marozzi, \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-bold a-text-italic\"\u003eThe Spectator\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cspan\u003e'An excellent and angry analysis of an American mess.'\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e― \u003cspan class=\"a-text-bold a-text-italic\"\u003eIrish Times\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e'A furious critique of U.S. foreign policy in the region since the end of the Cold War ... well-documented.' \u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003e― \u003cspan class=\"a-text-bold a-text-italic\"\u003eForeign Affairs\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cspan\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e‘Persuasively argues that the U.S. efforts to shape the Middle East have failed.’\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e― \u003cspan class=\"a-text-bold a-text-italic\"\u003eNew Republic,\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-bold a-text-italic\"\u003e 'Book of the Week'\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e‘[A] searing account of policy-making failures.’ \u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003e― \u003cspan class=\"a-text-bold a-text-italic\"\u003eInternational Affairs\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cspan\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e'\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-italic\"\u003eAmerica's Middle East\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e should be read now. Not because it offers the comfort of policy recommendations [...] nor because it relieves regional actors of blame [...] It should be read because it restores proportion [...] a brilliant, necessary and sorrowing book.'\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e― \u003cspan class=\"a-text-bold a-text-italic\"\u003eMiddle East Eye\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e'I am delighted and impressed that a respected US political scientist has published such a hard-hitting and honest book. I recommend it strongly to anyone interested in understanding why our region is so volatile and violent.' \u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003e― \u003cspan class=\"a-text-bold a-text-italic\"\u003eArab Centre DC blog\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cspan\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e‘This remarkable, aching book holds up a mirror to all among us who had a hand in, or passively watched, US policy. The picture reflected is appalling. America’s Middle East, Lynch says, was born of rage. His is of the good, healthy, necessary kind.’\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e-- \u003cspan class=\"a-text-bold\"\u003eRobert Malley, former Middle East advisor to Presidents Clinton, Obama and Biden, and co-author of \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-bold a-text-italic\"\u003eTomorrow is Yesterday: Life, Death, and the Pursuit of Peace in Israel\/Palestine\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e‘An excellent, unflinchingly honest account of what every Arab knows: America’s policies and dominance in the Middle East have provoked untold disasters, based on a deep-rooted culture of racism and colonialism. The world needs this book, now more than ever.’ \u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003e-- \u003cspan class=\"a-text-bold\"\u003eFida Jiryis, author of \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-bold a-text-italic\"\u003eStranger in My Own Land: Palestine, Israel and One Family’s Story of Home\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cspan\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e‘No one is better equipped than Lynch to tell this tragic story, written with passion, precision, honesty and courage. Essential reading on how American myopia, bias and hypocrisy have led to Gaza.’\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e-- \u003cspan class=\"a-text-bold\"\u003eDavid D. Kirkpatrick, \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-bold a-text-italic\"\u003eNew Yorker\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-bold\"\u003e staff writer and former \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-bold a-text-italic\"\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-bold\"\u003e Middle East correspondent\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e‘A sobering read for anyone watching the carnage in Gaza and wondering, ‘How can the world do nothing?’ Lynch offers an expert historical critique of US regional policy, enforced by Democrat and Republican Presidents alike, concluding that today’s war “represents a fundamental breaking point in the American-led Middle East.”’ \u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003e-- \u003cspan class=\"a-text-bold\"\u003eDeborah Amos, former Middle East correspondent, NPR; Ferris Professor of Journalism in Residence, Princeton University; and author of \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-bold a-text-italic\"\u003eLines in the Sand\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cspan\u003e‘Illuminating. For anyone interested in Middle East politics, Lynch offers the first detailed analysis of America’s powerfully institutionalised regional order. An amazingly important and timely critique of US supremacy since the 1990s, and its culmination in Israel’s genocide in Gaza.’\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e-- \u003cspan class=\"a-text-bold\"\u003eDina Matar, Chair of the Centre for Global Media and Communications, SOAS University of London, and co-editor of \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-bold a-text-italic\"\u003eGaza as Metaphor\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e‘A timely critique of the structural and ideological goals shackling US policy in the Middle East, leaving today’s ruins. Without absolving regional actors, Lynch recounts how successive presidents have fallen into institutionalised policy traps.’ \u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003e-- \u003cspan class=\"a-text-bold\"\u003eEllie Geranmayeh, Deputy Director of the Middle East \u0026amp; North Africa programme, European Council on Foreign Relations\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Marc Lynch","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45238612164808,"sku":null,"price":150.0,"currency_code":"ILS","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0507\/3679\/1752\/files\/america_middle_east.jpg?v=1792752191","url":"https:\/\/educationalbookshop.com\/products\/america-s-middle-east-the-ruination-of-a-region","provider":"EducationalBookshop","version":"1.0","type":"link"}