Sophia C. reviewed The Media Relations Department of Hizbollah Wishes You a Happy Birthday: Unexpected Encounters in the Changing Middle East on + 289 more book reviews
The seemingly whimsical title refers to actual emails that author Neil MacFarquhar received as a result of registering as a journalist with Hizbollah. Raised in an oil company town in Libya, MacFarquhar returned to the region first as a report for the Associated Press, then as New York Times Cairo bureau chief from 2001 through 2005. Also an Arabic speaker, he holds a unique vantage point on the Middle East.
The author's goal is to lift the veil of violence--of which much of his own reporting comprises--which opacifies the view that most Westerners have of the region. The book is oddly organized: a jumble of personal memoir, travelogue and reflection in the beginning chapters; middle chapters devoted to specific pan-region topics such as fatwas, satellite television, the meaning of jihad, and the role of intelligence services; and a final block regarding the obstacles to civil society in several countries. In the last section he gives voice to political dissidents. What I learned from his often repetitive writing is that the region is basically ruled by inefficiently-run police states, in which religious extremism is often the only permitted avenue for organizations to grasp political power. With that framework in hand, one can better analyze American policy in the region.
In summary: a valuable book for its perspective, but hard to read through.
The author's goal is to lift the veil of violence--of which much of his own reporting comprises--which opacifies the view that most Westerners have of the region. The book is oddly organized: a jumble of personal memoir, travelogue and reflection in the beginning chapters; middle chapters devoted to specific pan-region topics such as fatwas, satellite television, the meaning of jihad, and the role of intelligence services; and a final block regarding the obstacles to civil society in several countries. In the last section he gives voice to political dissidents. What I learned from his often repetitive writing is that the region is basically ruled by inefficiently-run police states, in which religious extremism is often the only permitted avenue for organizations to grasp political power. With that framework in hand, one can better analyze American policy in the region.
In summary: a valuable book for its perspective, but hard to read through.
John O. (buzzby) -
Pretty good, it gives kind of a depressing view of the Middle East. The author (he makes no bones about it), would like to see the Middle East more like it was when he was a child growing up in an American oil suburb in Libya. He speaks Arabic, so he probably has a pretty good idea of the pulse of the place, but he tended to talk more to the educated folks there.
