In the summer of 1978, Musa al Sadr, the spiritual leader of the Muslim Shia sect in Lebanon, disappeared mysteriously while on a visit to Libya. As in the Shia myth of the "Hidden Imam," this modern-day Imam left his followers upholding his legacy and awaiting his return. Considered an outsider when he had arrived in Lebanon in 1959 from his native Iran, he gradually assumed the role of charismatic mullah, and was instrumental in transforming the Shia, a quiescent and downtrodden Islamic minority, into committed political activists. What sort of person was Musa al Sadr? What beliefs in the Shia doctrine did his life embody? Where did he fit into the tangle of Lebanon's warring factions? What was behind his disappearance? In this fascinating and compelling narrative, Fouad Ajami resurrects the Shia's neglected history, both distant and recent, and interweaves the life and work of Musa al Sadr with the larger strands of the Shia past.

There is, perhaps, no other place in the world fraught with as much turmoil as the Middle East. This updated guide provides readers with an intense look at current events and the ever-changing political and social landscape, as well as the history-ancient and modern-of the region. This latest edition of The Complete Idiot's Guide to Middle East Conflict offers a completely updated view of events in the region through the corrective lens of present-day knowledge, as well as a look at what's going on there right now- The rearming of Hezbollah, and what it may mean to Israel and the Lebanese government. The increased threat of Iran-despite increased pressure from the United States and Europe, its acquisition of nuclear weapons may only be a matter of time. With Hamas controlling Gaza and the Palestinian Authority now divided, can the Palestinians present a united position in peace talks? The evacuation from Gaza-has this peace measure only led to a launching pad for a new front in a war against Israel?

While recent scholarship has focused on wartime Syria, this book is dedicated to heads of state in the immediate post-Ottoman era until the end of the French Mandate in 1946. Here, renowned Syrian historian, Sami Moubayed, examines Syria's first eleven heads of state who led the country between 1918 and 1946. With a chapter dedicated to each leader, Moubayed sheds light on the political culture of the time and traces the trajectory of how Syria was governed through colonialism, monarchism and federalism and republicanism. The study draws on numerous archives, political memoirs and first-hand interviews with key figures who were active between the 1930's and 1950's, providing a rich picture of Syrian political culture during this forgotten period.

Recovering the U.S. Hispanic Literary Project is a national project to locate, identify, preserve and make accessible the literary contributions of U.S. Hispanics from colonial times through 1960 in what today comprises the fifty states of the United States.

What Remains of Israel is a story about people. Naphtali Benyamin takes a candid look, beyond the nearly daily headlines of terror, into the lives of Israelis from several walks of life. Through the stories of both Jews and Arabs, the impact of the second intifada and its implications for peace in Israel are described in vivid terms. What Remains of Israel touches on the human aspect of a people besieged by the most evil form of terror. It tells their stores, their courage, but, above all, it tells of their hope and their desire for peace. Naphtali Benyamin explains Israel as few have. He argues Jerusalem's place in Islam, questioning its status in classical Islamic history. He explains how the government of Israel is structured and the social tension among Israel's religious, secular and Arab citizens; he examines the intentions of Hamas and presents an example of its negotiating strategy. His work is a careful analysis to describe what remains of Israel. What he found is enlightening.

The Beast and Babylon answers some age-old questions about the two symbolic entities featured in the book of Revelation. These symbols have historically been typified as a revived Roman Empire, and its God-opposing religious counterparts that rise up (in Europe), prior to the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. In contrast, this informative and timely study reveals that the latter-day beast power rises out of not one, but out of three defunct previous empires in the Middle East; knownvia Daniels metaphorsas the lion, bear, and leopard kingdoms. It appears from Daniel 7:1112, that long after the last manifestation of the Roman Empire is destroyed, these three dormant empires are revived for a season and a time. During their rejuvenation, they reappear in Revelation 13 and 17 in the form of a tripartite, seven-headed, political/religious beast power that emerges from the topographies of the ancient Grecian (leopard), Persian (bear), and Babylonian (lion) kingdoms. Furthermore, these combined territories encompass ten sovereign Islamic horn nations that were revealed after the Ottoman Empire was abolished ninety-five years ago. Today, many of these Islamic nations contain embedded terrorist groups whose fanatical Jihadist leaders are determined to resurrect a radical pan-Islamic Caliphate, by which to establish Sharia law throughout the World. To achieve these objectives, the latter-day nascent imperial beast powerin conjunction with ten like-minded insurgent leadersmust initiate a global Jihad to incite war on the people of God, and conspire to destroy a religious city called Mystery, Babylon the Great.