Reddit reviews The Great War for Civilisation: The Conquest of the Middle East

I would recommend The Great War for Civilization: The Conquest of the Middle East. It's not a political treatise, but I think it does a pretty good job of helping once get handle on the issues in the Middle East.

The Great War for Civilisation - Robert Fisk

Robert Fisk: The Great War for Civilization.

Nikki Keddie: Modern Iran: Roots and Results of Revolution

Ira Lapidus: A History of Islamic Societies

And other good ones I know of that were mentioned in here:

A History of the Arab People" by Hourani

"All the Shah's Men" by Stephen Kinzer

The Palestinian People: A History

The Israelis: Ordinary People in an Extraordinary Land

This is all a good place to start, I think.

Robert Fisk's wonderfully encyclopedic summary of the Middle East since the breaking up of the Ottoman Empire entitled The Great War for Civilization its an incredible read and will teach you a vast amount of information.

Fisk: The Great War for Civilisation: The Conquest of the Middle East

A lot of people would argue with Fisk and some would accuse him of being a war junky so don't discount the politics, but he was there and his notes from the invasion are really interesting.

(borrow the book if you can, only a small section is devoted to the invasion)

I'm reading The Great War for Civilization which is a history of the middle east/biography of a foreign correspondent who interviewed Osama a couple of times. The way he was describing Osama almost made me post on /r/INFJ to ask if Osama Bin Laden was an INFJ. Glad you answered my question for me!

http://www.amazon.com/History-Greenwood-Histories-Modern-Nations/dp/0313307318/ref=cm_lmf_img_9/181-0760775-7673100

http://www.amazon.com/Blood-Oil-Inside-Library-Paperbacks/dp/0375753087/ref=cm_lmf_tit_12/181-0760775-7673100

http://www.amazon.com/Sowing-Wind-Seeds-Conflict-Middle/dp/0393058492

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Rise-Fall-Shah-Autocracy-Religious/dp/0691140405/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1288638090&sr=1-2

Possibly not worth buying, library maybe?

http://www.amazon.com/Great-War-Civilisation-Conquest-Middle/dp/1400041511

All long standing terrorist/resistance organizations have used this tactic. Che Guevara even wrote about it. Use the civilian population as a shield, and when the authorities harm civilians to get to you - you look like heroes, as you're the only gun in town.

Hamas launch attacks every time there's a peace deal on the table - a deal would strip them of political power; and they can't allow that to happen. So they take the losses associated with the Israeli reprisals, and look like heroes to all the angry young men who've lost family.

See: http://www.amazon.com/Great-War-Civilisation-Conquest-Middle/dp/1400041511