Best middle eastern politics books according to redditors
We found 44 Reddit comments discussing the best middle eastern politics books. We ranked the 18 resulting products by number of redditors who mentioned them. Here are the top 20.
We found 44 Reddit comments discussing the best middle eastern politics books. We ranked the 18 resulting products by number of redditors who mentioned them. Here are the top 20.
A lot, and they've been crossing paths for years.
Seriously, if you really want to dive down this rabbit hole, check out Proof Of Collusion and Proof Of Conspiracy.
It's all sourced from major news reporting and it's mind-boggling.
Also follow the author's twitter feed: @SethAbramson
>He made peace after attacking isreal twice, and after he got his ass kicked twice. Isreal claimed a large part of Egypt after beating the shit out of them, so Sadat asked for peace so he could get Egypt its land back, he still hated Jews, he was just aware that they were stronger than his conscript army so he pussed out.
Anwar Sadat took power after Nasser's death in 1970.
Also as for the 1967 war, and the events leading up to it, I think you and many others in this thread need to take more evidence into account. In 1964, Arab leaders met in Cairo to discuss the Jordan river and headwaters of the Sea of Galilee, the primary sources of fresh water in the region. The meeting was prompted by the approaching completion of Israel’s project to divert the Jordan river for irrigation and drinking water. If successful, the diversion would severely restrict the water supply in the region; Syria had already clashed with Israel in the Golan Heights. At the Cairo Summit, Arab nations decided to themselves divert the sources of the Galilee through Jordan and Saudi Arabia, a four-year venture. In addition, Nasser restricted access through Egypt's waterways such as the Suez and the Straits of Tiran.
Israel's main motives during this time period were to get a secure freshwater access, acquire freedom of passage, and expand towards the West Bank so that Jerusalem could be annexed and become the capital of Israel.
Tensions had been building in the region due to Arab plans to divert the Jordan River north of Lake Tiberius, denying Israel a crucial source of fresh water; and due to Israel's development of nuclear capabilities. Then in early 1967 Nasser received false intelligence from the USSR that Israel planned to attack Syria. As a result Nasser evicted UNEF forces and closed the Straits of Tiran, which Israel viewed as an act of war. Under the direction of Minister of Defense Moshe Dayan, Israeli jets attacked the Sinai, destroying nearly every plane in the Egyptian airforce within three hours. By June 9 Israel occupied Sharm al-Sheykh and the Suez Canal. Furthermore, Israel responded to Jordanian attacks by invading the West Bank and Jerusalem. Israel also invaded the Syrian-held Golan Heights, a move ordered by Dayan without Prime Minister Eshkol's approval. The Six Day War resulted in Israeli occupation of the Straits of Tiran, the West Bank, and the Golan Heights, thereby resolving Israel's three main territorial/security issues in the region.
If we go back in time a little bit to Nasser and his motives, attacking Israel was not on his agenda. If we look at Nasser's six point program, he wanted an end to British rule in Egypt, an end to feudalism, a more powerful military, and industrialization and domestic economic prosperity in Egypt. Nasser passed law 178 to redistribute land, nationalized banks and insurance companies, and planned to build the Aswan High Dam. When the US, dropped funding, Nasser needed a source of revenue and so he nationalized the Suez Canal in 56'. During Nasser's rule, he made several attempts to create a lasting peace with Israel.
Following David Ben-Gurion's retirement in 1953, his replacement, Moshe Sharrett, entered secret peace talks with Nasser in an attempt to avoid violence. Sharrett saw these peace talks necessary as there was no official peace treaty after the War of 1948. David Ben-Gurion saw these peace talks as the pathway to Israel's downfall and weakness, and therefore with the help of the Israeli Hawks, created Operation Susannah. This operation began in the Spring of 1954, and was aimed at derailing the secret talks between Sharette and Nasser of Egypt, by making Nasser and Egypt look bad. Again, DBG and the Hawks (Activists) desired this as Sharette was a negotiationist, and they felt that this would enfeeble Israel. In July of 1954, during a firebombing in Alexandria, perpetrators of Operation Susannah were captured and held captive. During this capture, the names of the members of Operation Susannah were revealed, and the blame was put on Israeli minister of Defense, Pinhas Lavon. Subsequently, Lavon resigned and DBG took his place. For this reason, this series of events is known as the Lavon Affair. Following the Lavon Affair, DBG would go on to make executive decisions for Isreal, such as the order to attack Gaza, in response to Israeli outrage and the Egyptians capture/torture of Israelites. This term is historically significant as it leads to Lavon's resignation, David Ben-Gurion's return to power, the attack on Gaza.
Skipping ahead to 1969, Nixon, Kissinger, and Golda Meir met to discuss the nuclear capabilities of Israel. Ever since France promised nuclear technology alloys, Israel has been investing its efforts in nuclear tech. at their Dimona research center. Israel's nuclear option is seen as necessary by their leaders due to their geographic isolation in the Mid-East and the immense tension surmounted from all of the wars and conflicts between the Arabs. However, the US was trying to push Nuclear Non-Proliferation, and if we must take into account that this is during the Cold War. The US was pushing the NPT to its allies to prevent increasing conflict with the USSR. If Israel, for example, were to take the nuclear option against Egypt or another USSR backed nation, the repercussions from the USSR would have been disastrous for the US, the region, and basically the world would go into nuclear warfare. The US wanted to prevent this and ultimately knew that they must prevent Israel from going with the nuclear option. The meeting concluded with Nixon urging not to take "the bomb out of the basement" because as long as he was president, Israel was going to have full military support to prevent their option from ever becoming a reality. Israel committed to "three nos: no publication, no provocation, and no testing." Please keep this information in mind.
When Sadat took presidency in Egypt, moral was weak and Egypt had suffered major territorial losses in 67'. Sadat, coming into power, knew that coexistence with the Israelis was inevitable and a lasting peace is critical to the economic and military alliance with the prosperous and powerful west. Sadat aimed at fulfilling what Nasser had failed to do, which is establishing a successful and crucial treaty with the Israelis. Sadat also wanted to regain Egypt's lost territory, but knew he did not have a proper seat at the negotiating table with the way Egypt stood after the 67' war. His motives for creating an offensive against Israel were for the sole purpose of displaying the ability of an Arab nation to penetrate the virtually indestructible US-backed, Israel. Israel has already proved its strong military presence in the region in past wars and has maintained a powerful military image.
Sadat's entry into the 1973 war was extremely successful through the use of Saggers (land to land missiles for tanks) and SAM's (land to air missiles for jets) provided to Egypt by the Soviets, as well as the decision to launch the attack on the holiest day in Israel, the Egyptians were able to cross the canal quickly and gain a significant military advantage over Israel. The IDF's was at the point of defeat, so the nuclear option was becoming more and more a reality. This is when the US steps in and intervenes.
>Operation Nickel Grass was an overt strategic airlift and operation conducted by the United States to deliver weapons and supplies to Israel during the Yom Kippur War. In a series of events that took place over 32 days, the Military Airlift Command of the U.S. Air Force shipped 22,325 tons of tanks, artillery, ammunition, and supplies in C-141 Starlifter and C-5 Galaxy transport aircraft between October 14 and November 14, 1973.[1] The U.S. support helped ensure that Israel survived a coordinated and surprise life-threatening attack from the Soviet-backed Arab Republic of Egypt and Syrian Arab Republic.
This essentially is the turning point of the war. Israel, with the life-support from the US, was able to make a significant comeback until a UN ceasefire.
>Israel's refusal to stop fighting after a United Nations cease-fire was in place on October 22 nearly involved the Soviet Union in the military confrontation. On October 25 and 26, the Soviet Union threatened to send troops into Egypt to save the Egyptian Third Army from Israeli encirclement. The United States went on nuclear alert and, fearing that the situation might escalate into global conflict, applied pressure on Israel to obey the cease-fire.
>The Arab-Israeli War of 1973 ended the stalemate in peace negotiations that had existed prior to the war. Following the military confrontation against Syria and Egypt, Israel was more amenable to a peace settlement. The United States also began to re-examine its policy in the Middle East when it faced the Arab oil embargo at the end of the war. Settlement of the Arab-Israeli conflict became a top priority for the United States.
While the Israelis view the war as a military victory, they also lost it in regards of how the world view them- a country that could not win without the US thus giving Sadat a political victory. Egypt emerged in a powerful position for future negotiations with leverage on peace talks, and Sadat a hero in Egypt and the Arab world.
In 1979, the Camp David Peace Accords made Egypt and Israel become official frenemies. I say that because there are many Egyptians that dislike Israelie and there are many Israelis that dislike Egyptians. However, the governments are at peace and the weapons are down which is pretty much all that matters. Egypt retrieves its lost territories and Israel is able to finally establish peace and recognition in the heated region for the first time in decades.
Sources:
http://history.state.gov/milestones/1969-1976/ArabIsraeliWar73
http://books.google.com/books?id=wnnCeV11YCsC&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_ge_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q&f=false
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Nickel_Grass
http://www.amazon.com/The-Elusive-Peace-Twentieth-Century/dp/0312243839
http://books.google.com/books?id=1Yca69_RUhMC&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false
And yet there are already reviews on Amazon. Like this guy named "Seisachtheia58":
"Chomsky is irrelevant to the Left at this point. The book contains no surprises, except as a another reviewer shares, there's more despair than optimism."
With, of course, one star out of 5 stars. I don't remember the saying of haters of Chomsky but it went something like "There are people who hate Chomsky, and then there are people who have read Chomsky". I think it's well suited to this situation.
Seth wrote "Proof of Conspiracy which lays out the reasons trump was elected and who benefited the most by his election. We, America, lost the 2016 election. Not because Hillary lost, but because it was more rigged than even Georgia's state elections.
Miller is the author of this book laying out a "conservative internationalist" grand strategy, which I haven't read but I've seen recommended around here as the modern Neocon Manifesto.
Saudi Arabia is a neccesary "frenemy" to the West strategically, but especially for oil.
From Wikipedia
>According to Mitchell Bard in his book The Arab Lobby,[citation needed] the approach has not changed since the days of King Saud; the basic message is that the Saudis and the Gulf States have the oil and will supply it to America and its allies on the condition that America keeps the Arab ruling families in power.
It goes on to say:
>The subsidiary clause is that the Arab oil states will also purchase arms ($100 billion worth over the last 50 years) to keep themselves in power and able to produce oil.[5]
It lacks a citation, but the book exists, and it sounds credible.
What on Earth are you talking about? Saudi Arabia, a close US ally, is currently bombing civilian populations into oblivion in Yemen using cluster bombs. Israel, a close US ally, is using snipers to shoot unarmed protesters on the Gaza border. Turkey, a NATO member and close US ally, is throwing journalists and academics in jail on trumped up charges of sedition. Kuwait, UAE, Oman, Jordan and Morrocco, all US/UK allies, are all absolutist monarchies, while Iran has an elected president and a burgeoning civil society. Hezbollah is a recognised democratic actor in Lebanon. It has been involved in armed conflict with Israel, and is currently fighting against islamic extremists in Syria, none of which makes it a "terrorist" organisation. None of this is meant to condone the power of the mullahs - but again, they would not be there at all if it were not for the CIA-maniplulated overthrow of Mossadegh, followed by the establishment of a US client state under the Shah puppet regime, all of which paved the way for evolution in 1979. Furthermore, the US armed Saddam Hussein of Iraq specifically to make sure Iran was kept weak - over one million died in the ensuing war. This is - was - a good agreement with sound foundations. All checkable online. It is really worth reflecting earnestly on who is the main terrorist in the middle east region.
Read Seth Abramson's book 'Proof of Conspiracy' if you want to find out more about how Trump has been buddying up with some of the scummiest leaders in the world for his personal gain.
If you're looking for well-detailed academic works, you'll find nothing (except 2-3 titles mentioned above). Sure, there are various research papers published by - for example - various students at US military education facilities. However, all of these are based on standard sources of reference - say, works like those by Pollack, Oren, Abrahamovich, Herzog, O'Ballance, Dunstan etc - which in turn are all based on de-facto hear-say (in this regards, see also this article by Guy Laron).
Indeed, and while it might sound absurd, but even researchers of Arab air forces (and armies) are far more serious in this regards. For example, about 10 years ago, Dr. David Nicolle has published a big, three-part story on the Egyptian Air Force in the 1948-1949 Palestine War - based on a cross-examination of the War Diary of the Eastern Command of the Royal Egyptian Air Force, interviews with numerous participants, their log books, private diaries etc. (see 'Fury over Palestine', AirEnthusiast magazine, volumes 127, 128, 129). It turned out a mass of Israeli claims from that war belong within realms of 'legends'. This starts already with the 'famous' downing of 'two Egyptian Dakota bombers over Tel Aviv' by Modi Allon (photos supposedly 'confirming this' are actually showing a REAF Dakota escorted by a REAF Spitfire).
Similarly, Dani Asher wrote a brilliant Egyptian Strategy of the Yom Kippur War, based on documentation captured when the Israelis overrun the HQ of the 3rd Egyptian Army, at the Km 101 in 1973. One can learn more about this war from this little book than from anything else published so far. One of Asher's findings was that the (supposed) 'Biggest Tank Battle since Kursk', on 14 October 1973, was none of that: rather a small Egyptian show-operation, which both sides then exaggerated for PR purposes.
Anyway, since you asked about works on the Israeli strike on Iraq in 1981, here few additional recommendations:
Finally, there are two recently-published books by Iraqi engineers that worked on that reactor - but both in Arabic:
Together, they are covering the entire Iraqi nuclear program from 1960s until 2003, and - between others - show the Iraqis didn't work on any nukes at the time of the Israeli air strike (if for no other reason, then because there were barely 200 trained Iraqi nuclear engineers, and they simply couldn't launch such a project; on the contrary, it was the Israeli strike that prompted them to launch such a project, in September 1981).
....though, with that, I'm moving away from the actual topic.
Let me thus end with the following recommendation: take Aloni's The June 1967 Six Day War, Volume A: Operation Focus (finally found at least one link to that one), and then cross-examine with Cooper's/Nicolle's Arab MiGs, Volume 2 (for an animated preview, see here), and Arab MiGs, Volume 3 (for an animated preview, see here).
As others have stated, educating yourself about the Middle East is not something that can be done quickly or easily. It takes years of educating yourself on the history, economics, security, demographics, and cultures of the region to really have a firm grasp on the subject. Reading just one book or watching just a few documentaries is a sure-fire way to have a very warped view of the Middle East. As the saying goes, "A little learning is a dangerous thing. Drink deep, or taste not the Pierian spring."
I am one of the mods at /r/geopolitics responsible for the wiki which has an extensive list of books and other references for those interested in international affairs. For your convenience, I have included the section on books and news sources on the Middles East below. If there is anything that you are specifically interested in, let me know and I can help you narrow down your search. As it is right now there is a lot of information out there.
Books on the Middle East & North Africa
General History
Author | Title | Synopsis
---|---|----
Albert Hourani | A History of the Arab Peoples | This is widely considered to be the definitive book on history in the Arab World, though a little dated.
Eugene Rogan | The Arabs: A History | Another essential and critically acclaimed book on Arab history.
Roy Mottahedeh | The Mantle of the Prophet | Role of religion and religious figures in Iran before and during the Islamic Revolution in 1979.
Mark Lynch | The Arab Uprising: The Unfinished Revolutions of the New Middle East | An outline of the causes, reactions, and consequences of the Arab Spring.
Political Systems
Author | Book | Synopsis
---|---|----
Mohammad Ayoob | The Many Faces of Political Islam: Religion and Politics in the Muslim World | This book thoroughly describes the myriad manifestations of Islamist ideology and analyzes its impact on global relations.
James A. Bill, Robert Springborg| Politics in the Middle East | An analysis of systems and processes in Middle Eastern politics that focuses on the themes of power, stratification, and development.
Military History
Author | Title | Synopsis
---|---|----
Kenneth Pollack | Arabs at War: Military Effectiveness, 1948-1991 | Probably the best book on Arab militaries culture and effectiveness and warfare in the Middle East between 1945-1991. Very extensive and informative.
Steven Ward | Immortal: A Military History of Iran and Its Armed Forces | A well-written history of Iran's military, from the Safavid Empire to the 21st century.
Ahron Bregman | Israel's Wars: A History since 1947 | A terrific book outlining Israel's strategic decision making for its military operations since its founding as a country.
Bruce Hoffman | Anonymous Soldiers: The Struggle for Israel, 1917-1947 | A look at Jewish terrorism and the establishment of Israel and the development of the current Arab-Israeli conflict.
Terrorism, Insurgencies, & Substate Violence
Author | Title | Synopsis
---|---|----
Daniel Byman | Al Qaeda, the Islamic State, and the Global Jihadist Movement: What Everyone Needs to Know | A terrific primer on al-Qaida, ISIL, and jihadism.
Lawrence Wright | The Looming Tower: Al-Qaeda and the Road to 9/11 | Probably the best book for outlining the history of al-Qaida and why 9/11 happened.
Michael Wiess and Hassan Hassan | ISIS: Inside the Army of Terror | One of several recent books on ISIL, this one provides an overview on the history and organization of ISIL.
Barry Rubin | Revolution Until Victory?: The Politics and History of the PLO | Although a little old (published in 1996), this books does a great job chronicling the history of the PLO and its role in the Palestinian struggle.
Alistar Horne | A Savage War of Peace: Algeria 1954-1962 | The definitive book on the Algerian War and the effects that it had in Algeria, France, and the rest of the world.
Charles Lister | The Syrian Jihad: Al-Qaeda, the Islamic State and the Evolution of an Insurgency | Written by an expert on jihadism in Syria, this books looks at the history and evolution of jihadists in the Syrian conflict.
U.S. Foreign Policy in the Middle East
Author | Title | Synopsis
---|---|----
Bob Woodward | Obama's Wars | Outline of the U.S. foreign policy decision making towards Iraq and Afghanistan in the early years of the Obama administration.
Kenneth Pollack | The Persian Puzzle: The Conflict Between Iran and America | A good overview of the history of support and tensions between the United States and Iran.
Michael R. Gordon | The Endgame: The Inside Story of the Struggle for Iraq, from George W. Bush to Barack Obama | Follows U.S. strategic and political decision making process during the Iraq War and the U.S. occupation.
Peter R. Mansoor | Surge: My Journey with General David Petraeus and the Remaking of the Iraq War | An extensive outline of the development and outcome of the Surge during the U.S. Occupation of Iraq.
Mark Mazzetti | The Way of the Knife: The CIA, a Secret Army, and a War at the Ends of the Earth | An overview of the CIA's targeted killing program against terrorist organizations.
Michael Morrell | The Great War of Our Time: The CIA's Fight Against Terrorism--From al Qa'ida to ISIS | Written by the former acting director of the CIA, this book examines U.S. counterterrorism successes and failures of the past two decades.
International News Sources that have good reporting on MENA
Middle East and North Africa News Sources
Hey, don't go around saying things like that... otherwise they might not want to join.
Proof of Conspiracy
The Lavon Affair is not a "conspiracy theory" -- it is historical fact. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lavon_Affair
More facts about Israeli false-flag operations (against fellow Jews too)
http://www.amazon.com/Israels-Sacred-Terrorism-Documents-Information/dp/0937694703
Leaving aside for the moment the question of what Trump has actually done to help the victims of March 15th...
is he publicly receiving praise from a Muslim for the help he's provided to the Muslim faith going to appeal to his evangelical base? I mean, this is what specifically appeals to his evangelical base..
I'd recommend adding Graeme Wood's new book to your reading list - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Way-Strangers-Encounters-Islamic-State/dp/0241240115
It documents his time talking to, interviewing, and later being 'recruited' by IS members, it's just excellent.
Here are all the local Amazon links I could find:
amazon.com
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amazon.nl
amazon.co.jp
amazon.fr
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read this
https://www.amazon.com/They-Must-Be-Stopped-Radical/dp/0312571283/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1485136909&sr=8-1&keywords=they+must+be+stopped
>So far, that area has seen relatively low activity from the superpowers.
This is not exactly true. The late nineties and early 2000s have been turbulent times in central asia, and many of the "stans" have seen revolutions, contested elections and low intensity conflicts with western intelligence agencies playing dubious roles.
This book actually argues that we're in first movements of a second cold war, and the hearland of central asia is the top prize.
A really good book to check out that helps explain some of why Saudi Arabia is acting so irrationally these days:
http://www.amazon.com/After-Sheikhs-Coming-Collapse-Monarchies/dp/0199330646
This is a collection of interviews again but this book is coming out next month
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/1608467996/ref=mp_s_a_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1491367905&sr=1-6&refinements=p_27%3ANoam+Chomsky&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_FMwebp_QL65
For what it's worth, most of us are ashamed by how our government acted in the past, notably towards your country.
A good read, where I first found about this stuff while I was a Freshman in college, is called Boomerang!: How Our Covert Wars Have Created Enemies Across the Middle East and Bring Terror to America. It really opened my eyes. It was pretty unprecedented as far as books go (most of this stuff is common knowledge now. . . like OP's post [haha] but it was kind of groundbreaking at the time. Iran, of course, is mentioned.
Oh my god how much more intentionally obtuse do you have to be, you're so easily read don't ever play poker your bias was obvious from your first post. If you can't link how Israel benefited from 9/11 just take Netanyahu's word for it (https://www.nytimes.com/2001/09/12/us/day-terror-israelis-spilled-blood-seen-bond-that-draws-2-nations-closer.html) and maybe educate yourself on Israel's (or America's for that matter) rich history of domestic state sponsored terrorist and false flag operations. Obvious sock puppet troll is obvious, now call me an anti-semite despite my hebrew name and heritage as if this conversation hasn't been played out a million times already in the last minute on twitter. I don't blame you, or others too lazy to look anywhere else but youtube for information but when google locks any dissenting video as unlisted but doesn't remove it as it doesn't have any legitimate grounds as hate speech it's a little telling who's running the show and for what purpose, isn't it?
Great forward by Noam Chomsky by the way, I suppose he's a Jewish anti-semite as well?
https://www.amazon.com/Israels-Sacred-Terrorism-Documents-Information/dp/0937694703/
https://www.amazon.com/The-War-Truth-Disinformation-Terrorism/dp/1566565960/
https://www.amazon.com/Solving-9-11-Deception-Changed-World/dp/0985322586
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qOq-LbQ4erM
And just a personal favorite everyone should really dig into just for wasting my time:
https://wikileaks.org/gifiles/
aaaaah, le reddit "UAE is SHIT" circlejerk.
Where to start:
preface: I lived in the UAE for 3 years.
>Palpable lack of freedoms.
Day to day living there is really no different from living in Europe.
In the UAE you can't insult the religion or the country, In Germany you can't display Nazi signs or the Hitler Salute. In most of Europe you cannot deny the holocaust.
There are curbs on freedom in most civilized countries.
Where I would agree would be the lack of freedom of the presses and the restrictions on media.
> Restrictions on alcohol
Alcohols sales are restricted in every country on earth.
Sweden, has some of the strongest alcohol restrictions, and the USA restricts its sale to those over 21.
You can literally join the military, fight, kill, and die for your country; many years before you can purchase alcohol.
In the UAE alcohol is available, very, fucking, widely, in bars and clubs and licenced shops (and even in illegal bootleg deliveries to your appartment)
>restrictions on eating during Ramadan
This is true that you cannot eat IN PUBLIC in hours of sunlight, for 1 month of a year.
The vast majority of restaurants remain open and simply put up screens on the doors and windows.
You can eat inside any of the restaurants, or any other private place.
>Absolute imposition of their beliefs on all people.
You mean aside from the multiple churches and temples?
There is a HUGE christian population in the UAE.
Many, many, of the workers you encounter will be Christian, or Buddhist. Not to mention that there are also a large community of Shia mulsims in the UAE...
The UAE is not Saudi Arabia...
> perhaps the most tolerant and westernized Muslim country in the world
It's a great place to live, but it is not the most tolerant and Westernized Muslim country in the world...
Even suggesting this loses you a lot of credit and makes me realise you don't know much about the Islamic world.
Try: Jordan, Indonesia, Malaysia, Tunisa...
>I take for granted the freedoms I have
This I can fully relate to.
Having lived in countries that do not enjoy the same level of freedom of the press, freedom of expression, freedom of congregation, etc.. I do appreciate more the rights that I have in the West.
But most of your argument on this is factually wrong, and misguided.
 
TL;DR##
The UAE has it's faults, and there are less freedoms of political conscious and expression than countries in the west, but "restrictions on alcohol" and "Not eating in Ramadan" they most certainly are not.
I would suggest anyone looking for more information, may well wish to check out: After the Sheikhs: The coming collapse of the Gulf Monarchies
It's an insightful read into the political situation of the whole Gulf region.
>well, there are all the other jews who are very offended still.
Jeremy, Dvir and Michael live for this drama. You actually think they give a flying **? All they do is exist to be the victim and there are reasons for this, few to do with "the poor survivors:. There are many who want to move past this
>why do you outweigh all of them? you're just one person, they're a whole community
Says you, thanks for marginalising me. Your tactic is not new.
>there's
organisationsorgani$ation$* worldwide dedicated to not forgetting and to staying offended and outragedFTFY
>why does your view outweigh theirs?
Why does their view outweigh mine? What's your dog in this fight? Not that it is a fight
>some are even mentioned in the article, why weren't yours? obviously if you're special they should have interviewed and quoted yourself?
Ahh, another logical fallacy. Appeal to authority, ad hominem, straw man, no true scotsman, it didn't happen to me?
You would be good to go to the library and read My Israel Question. https://www.amazon.com/My-Israel-Question-Antony-Loewenstein/dp/1530596432 to get an insight into the very question you just asked. Talk to the journalist and ask him why he might feel it isn't worth riskign his career to interview someone like Antony. Or people who say "hey hang on, these guys being quoted don't represent me?" But you may never have stopped to consider why these articles don't do that, have you?
You won't need to trust me to know there are many jewish people who believe that jews cop more shit than they would otherwise cop because the many bodies, councils, executives and other groups (none elected by anyone by the way, and certainly don't speak on my behalf, but for some reason always want to be framed at the greatest victims of persecution today) make many people sick of hearing about jews. "oh those fucken jews are whining again".
There is a strong belief that the shit that gets heaped on the kids in the street are enhanced by these bodies stirring up the victim card as a response to a few insignificant dumbats going to a dress up party in who gives a shitvill seen by the 10 people not hunched over their smartphone out shopping that day.
If you want to go sit in a meeting with them and hear "anytime anyone objects to Israel government military actions and land grabs in Palestine we will pull the anti-jew/ anti-semite card" it can probably be arranged. There are multiple aspects to the Israel/ Jew/ Palestine/ religion coin than most people know of, and as you will read in the book it hurts to be called a "self hating jew" because you may have empathy for the people of palestine, or don't support the israeli political regime, or reject these self appointed big heads purporting to speak on behalf of all Jews when it advances their political ideology
Now for myself, I KNOW what it is like to be persecuted for your religion, for nothing more than walking down the street in your visible religious identity. I also know that these goons in the shopping centre are not the enemy, and 90/100 I've spoken with "them" and talked about it they have empathy and are sorry and say hey we weren't thinking. Unless you tell them what they should do then they might tell you to eff off. A bit like the idiot swearing at the football, most of them if you politely whisper that it sounds like they' re having a great time but for the sake of the old ladies and little kids if they could be careful of some swear words", most of the time they check themselves and change, and yeah sometimes they tell you to eff off
This comes back to the whole "shut it down, ban them, don't let them into the country" paranoia. If we don't let people speak, how can we talk to them to change their minds?
Personally, I observe that there is less
persecutionarseholes heaping shit on people for looking different when stories like this aren't given the air they are given, and this article is not helpful. I have plenty of friends who are observant and they really just don't want this to be in the paper. It doesn't help, and the response they are afraid of from the public is not anti-semitism it is antipathy. "oh those bloody jews are whining again". When they aren't. Its a few politically motivated people trying to stay in the limelight.But all of this might be too difficult for quick to react slow to think SJW minds. Most are incapable of thinking beyond being offended on behalf of people they probably have never met, swallowing the pre-written chug spun out by other people they've never met, who tell people like you and I who they have no* interest in ever meeting, that we are responsible
Sources for my comments are in a reply to FatDrunkAndStupid.
I am not calling him an antisemite for simply criticizing Israel, as my reply will make clear. To refer to Carter's opposition to Israel as "balanced" is inaccurate to say the least. And yes, Arabs do have a powerful lobby.
Carter would have you believe that he brought peace to the region at Camp David, but this is very false. Israel had been making peace moves to Egypt many years before. Sadat went straight to the Knesset, not to the State Department to make a deal with Israel and much of the details were worked out before Camp David. One cannot using the accords to justify bashing Israel and only Israel.
Unless you credit the creation of the Islamic Republic of Iran with bringing "stability (of sorts)" to the Middle East, Carter has done nothing to contribute to that stability-ish.
Why the hell are you talking about Chavez? Does Carter's apologetics for one dictator excuse his apologetics for another? The simple fact remains that Carter was either dead wrong about Cuba's social situation, or he was lying. If I were a gambling man, I'd bet on the latter.
Many NGOs routinely talk about human rights and yet manage to both condemn Saudi Arabia and still avoid getting money from them. Clearly, it ain't that hard. The fact that someone on r/atheism is trying to defend the Saudi government is sickening.
Please explain the "good" the Saudi government is capable of doing. Executing atheists for a few Twitter posts? Oppressing women? Putting non-Muslims on separate roads and banning their religious services? Supporting extremism and sometimes terrorism? Killing "witches"?
I'm sure many on r/atheism find label "JC" is telling.
The man recognized the Khmer Rouge, for goodness sakes. Knowing everyone who has one disease somehow doesn't make up for that and if you think it does you need a serious education on the definition of "human rights".
UNICEF does plenty of good with a much better use of their donation dollars. You sound like the religious nuts who justify blowing millions on a church that oppresses women, gay people, religious minorities, and wastes money. "Oh," but they protest. "Jerry Falwell vaccinated a few kids."
Sickening.
>I didnt fucking say that, I said we have our own fucking problems and we shouldnt be blowing 3 billion$ up israels ass per annum, considering they do fuck all for us except apparently pissing off everyone around them.
Read a book.
>also the assumption that the countries physical size somehow has to do with its capability for fuckery is ridiculous.
Remember the part where I wrote "in every sense of the word"?
>I can think of a lot of ways israel could fuck us badly in the long run. one would be nuking someone, since they actually have nukes, which we would not even know anything about where it not for Mordecais Vanunu.
Are you familiar with MAD?
>more likely is they just piss off the entire arab world
They pissed it off in 1948 by existing- I somehow don't think it's Israel fault that a majority of the Arab world has its knickers in a twist because a nation decided to exercise its right to self-determination.
>with their facistic/supremacist behavior
Do you enjoy using empty buzzwords?
>and since US=Israel to large parts of the world well fuck thats a lot of little brown kids growing up to hate us
It's really not a race issue (the majority of Israeli Jews are of direct Middle Eastern descent), but you keep on telling yourself that.