Anti-American Terrorism and the Middle East: A Documentary Reader - Softcover

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0195176596 ISBN 13: 9780195176599

Publisher: Oxford University Press, 2004

Synopsis

After the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, a stunned public asked: How could this happen? Why did the attackers do what they did? What did they hope to accomplish?

This wasn't the first battle in a conflict that has included bombings of U.S. embassies and planes, the Iran hostage crisis, and kidnappings or shootings of American citizens. This unique volume sets out to answer these questions using the unfiltered words of the terrorists themselves.

Over many decades, radical forces in the Middle East have changed and evolved, yet their basic outlook and anti-Western views have remained remarkably consistent. Barry Rubin and Judith Colp Rubin have assembled nearly one hundred key documents, charting the evolution of radical Middle East movements, their anti-Americanism, and Western policy response. The buildup to the battle between a world superpower and Middle East revolutionaries is brought dramatically to life. Among the documents included are the charters of such organizations as Hizballah, Hamas, and World Islamic Front; speeches by Syrian president Hafiz al-Asad and former Iraqi president Saddam Hussein; al-Qa'ida recruitment materials; and terrorist training manuals. The book also shows and analyzes the often conflicting and deeply conflicted responses to September 11 by journalists, clerics, and activists in the Arab world.

Supplemented by an annotated chronology, a glossary of terms, and sections that put each selection in context, this comprehensive reference serves not only as essential historical background to the ongoing aftermath of the September 11 attacks, but more generally as an invaluable framework for understanding a long-term, continuing conflict that has caused many crises for the United States.

About this title

About the Author:

Barry Rubin is Director of the Global Research in International Affairs Center and editor of the journal, Middle East Review of International Affairs. His previous documentary reader, The Israel-Arab Reader, coedited with Walter Laqueur, now in its sixth edition, has been in print for thirty years. Judith Colp Rubin is a journalist who has covered the Middle East extensively for a variety of U.S. print media.

Review:

"Many of the materials here are useful and intriguing, from George Bush's statement on September 11 to Saddam Hussein's broadcast on September 12 to Osama bin Laden's own broadcast the month after."--World Politics

"The book contains copies of nearly 100 important documents related to the Middle East conflict, including the charters of such organizations as Hezbollah and Hamas, as well al al Qaeda recruitment and training materials."--The Washington Post Book World

"The fine documentary reader. It also offers a sampling of American, Middle Eastern, and world reactions to the event. With a detailed chronology of Middle East-connected terrorism against Americans and helpful glossaries, this book is a useful reference book."--Foreign Affairs

"For readers who want to go back to the sources." --Publishers Weekly

About this edition

• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Publication date: 2004
• ISBN 10: 0195176596
• ISBN 13: 9780195176599
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 408
• Editor: Rubin Barry, Rubin Judith Colp