A New York Times Notable Book of 2020 “[A] sweeping and authoritative history" (The New York Times Book Review), Black Wave is an unprecedented and ambitious examination of how the modern Middle East unraveled and why it started with the pivotal year of 1979. Kim Ghattas seamlessly weaves together history, geopolitics, and culture to deliver a gripping read of the largely unexplored story of the rivalry between between Saudi Arabia and Iran, born from the sparks of the 1979 Iranian revolution and fueled by American policy. With vivid story-telling, extensive historical research and on-the-ground reporting, Ghattas dispels accepted truths about a region she calls home. She explores how Sunni Saudi Arabia and Shia Iran, once allies and twin pillars of US strategy in the region, became mortal enemies after 1979. She shows how they used and distorted religion in a competition that went well beyond geopolitics. Feeding intolerance, suppressing cultural expression, and encouraging sectarian violence from Egypt to Pakistan, the war for cultural supremacy led to Iran’s fatwa against author Salman Rushdie, the assassination of countless intellectuals, the birth of groups like Hezbollah in Lebanon, the September 11th terrorist attacks, and the rise of ISIS. Ghattas introduces us to a riveting cast of characters whose lives were upended by the geopolitical drama over four decades: from the Pakistani television anchor who defied her country’s dictator, to the Egyptian novelist thrown in jail for indecent writings all the way to the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in 2018. Black Wave is both an intimate and sweeping history of the region and will significantly alter perceptions of the Middle East.

A scathing and brilliant revisionist history, Defending the Holy Land is the most comprehensive analysis to date of Israel's national security and foreign policy, from the inception of the State of Israel to the present. Book jacket.

A study of Egypt since the Revolution provides insight into many of the major problems confronting the world today. The phenomenon of military regimes replacing civilian governments throughout the Afro-Asian world is of urgent concern to the West and to the Communists alike. Gamal Abdel Nasser’s peculiar brand of neutralism has thrust Egypt into the center of the cold war. The problems of internal development facing this country are similar to those encountered in many of the underdeveloped areas of the world. And Nasser’s appeals for Arab unity reflect the growing movement toward greater regional cooperation, a hallmark of the twentieth century. This book is not intended to be a history of Egypt of the past seven years; rather, it is an analysis of the contemporary scene. While I have endeavored to present the highlights of the period since the military coup of 1952, my primary purpose has been to analyze Nasser’s military regime.—Keith Wheelock “With the facilities of Nasser’s office at his disposal, Keith Wheelock in this book, has been able to interview government members and dig into certain state archives, unhampered by the usual restrictions besetting the political commentator. The result is an intimate analysis of recent Egyptian history. “Well documented, this exciting and informative analysis should have a wide appeal in view of the Suez Canal seizure, the armed threat staged by France, England and Israel in 1956, and the current rearmament against Israel.”—Kirkus Review

The once-neglected study of counter-insurgency operations has recently emerged as an area of central concern for Western governments and their military organizations. While counter-insurgency represents a hugely challenging form of contemporary warfare, there exists a considerable body of experience that offers assistance in the form of examples of

Investigates the transformative period in the history of the Jews of Libya (1938-52). This book reveals the capacity of Libyan Jewry to adapt to and integrate into environments without losing its historical traditions.