Andrew K. (kuligowskiandrewt) -
The headlines over the past week have described an ongoing exchange of missiles between Israel and Hamas. It doesn't matter what day I wrote / posted this review this isn't the first time something like this has occurred, and I doubt that there's anyone alive who believes it will be the last.
In Fortress Israel, Patrick Tyler reviews the history of the conflict between Israel and its Arab neighbors and residents going back to its founding in 1948. Readers who subscribe to the opinion that poor Israel is always getting picked on by those darned Arabs will probably hate this book. It makes a strong case that having geared up for a war mentality, the state and its leaders have a difficult time conceiving that there could be another option. It is important to stress that he presents a well documented argument that this stance applies to the government and not its citizens as a group.
Having read that previous paragraph, some potential readers that believe Israel is the devil incarnate sent to test the poor Arabs might rush out to grab this book, believing that they've finally found someone who clearly and sympathetically describes their viewpoint to the masses. These people will also be disappointed, for Mr. Tyler does not claim that anyone else in the region is blameless not Egypt, not Syria, not the PLO or any other group claiming, justifiably or not, to represent the Palestinian people.
This book is quite lengthy, documenting the events and decisions that led up to the various wars fought by Israel. However, the book does not spend much time documenting the actual wars themselves fans of non-fiction war books will probably be disappointed.
In my opinion, anyone willing to approach the situation in the Middle East with an open mind, who do not subscribe to the stances produced by the propaganda experts on either side of this contentious situation, will find a lot to think about in this book. Even then, agree with is probably too much to expect for everything covered in this book. I suspect that Mr. Tyler would consider his efforts to be a success if someone read the book, thought about it, and then disagreed with everything he wrote as long as the thought about it part was sincere.
RATING: A solid 4 stars, and I was sincerely tempted to toss in an extra 1/2 star.
DISCLOSURE: I won this book in a contest; winners were encouraged to review the book, but there was no requirement to do so (nor, of course, was there any attempt to influence the rating).
In Fortress Israel, Patrick Tyler reviews the history of the conflict between Israel and its Arab neighbors and residents going back to its founding in 1948. Readers who subscribe to the opinion that poor Israel is always getting picked on by those darned Arabs will probably hate this book. It makes a strong case that having geared up for a war mentality, the state and its leaders have a difficult time conceiving that there could be another option. It is important to stress that he presents a well documented argument that this stance applies to the government and not its citizens as a group.
Having read that previous paragraph, some potential readers that believe Israel is the devil incarnate sent to test the poor Arabs might rush out to grab this book, believing that they've finally found someone who clearly and sympathetically describes their viewpoint to the masses. These people will also be disappointed, for Mr. Tyler does not claim that anyone else in the region is blameless not Egypt, not Syria, not the PLO or any other group claiming, justifiably or not, to represent the Palestinian people.
This book is quite lengthy, documenting the events and decisions that led up to the various wars fought by Israel. However, the book does not spend much time documenting the actual wars themselves fans of non-fiction war books will probably be disappointed.
In my opinion, anyone willing to approach the situation in the Middle East with an open mind, who do not subscribe to the stances produced by the propaganda experts on either side of this contentious situation, will find a lot to think about in this book. Even then, agree with is probably too much to expect for everything covered in this book. I suspect that Mr. Tyler would consider his efforts to be a success if someone read the book, thought about it, and then disagreed with everything he wrote as long as the thought about it part was sincere.
RATING: A solid 4 stars, and I was sincerely tempted to toss in an extra 1/2 star.
DISCLOSURE: I won this book in a contest; winners were encouraged to review the book, but there was no requirement to do so (nor, of course, was there any attempt to influence the rating).
