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For example: If the Barbary Pirates are not dealt with, "they will soon invade the shores of America." (never mind the pirates did not have ships capable of making the voyage across the Atlantic). I think that Oren has gone above and beyond in his efforts to be objective. "Power, Faith, and Fantasy" is a very balanced book. Today's line is "if we leave Iraq/Afghanistan, the terrorists will follow us home." I have enjoyed every word of this book (including the words which I had to look up in a dictionary while reading the book). This book should be required reading for all those who study American policy in the Middle East. I enjoyed reading reading the propaganda lines used by politicians in 1800 which are the same as those used today. Oren makes great use of the English language in crafting the amazing tales of American adventures and misadventures in the Middle East.
Superb book. Well Written and documented. One of the best books I have ever read on the Middle East and the Background of the establishment of the State of Israel and its history over the past 2600 years.
There was no longer a superpower like Britain to look after America. Zionism, as the movement was called, found no place more fitting than the Jews' ancestral land of Palestine.America knew then, however, that by recognizing Israel, the Arab world would rise in protest. The United States, while they wish for war with no nation, will buy peace with none."Britain and France were the wealthy superpowers at the time. So a European country's foreign policy was fairly simple -- set aside an annual fund for paying off pirates. Almost all the evangelists died from disease as soon as they arrived.
settled policy of America, that as peace is better than war, war is better than tribute. And sure enough, as if on cue, unprotected American merchant ships became easy prey for Moroccan pirates in the Mediterranean. Not, however, according to the Founding Fathers. A critic only need mention oil and any and all debate regarding American foreign policy quickly ends. America from that day on was on her own.
Oil, whose rich deposits under Arab soil were only then being discovered, was just beginning to grow in demand as it drove Western civilization's industrialization. The Muslims, they also found, steadfastly held to their religion. Unable to stand idly by and do nothing, American missionaries flowed into the Middle East in hopes of converting the region to Christianity.But the mission was easier said than done. President Madison said, "It is a.
America was not even close.But over time America became prosperous. American warships had gone wherever American citizens went to provide protection where none was available. When George Washington drove away the British in 1776, little did he know that independence came with a price. In the end, the missionaries stopped spreading Christian doctrine and focused instead on building hospitals and schools. They taught the republican ideals of democracy and freedom hoping that through education the people would come to their own and strive for American-style liberty.And so when news that Jews were getting massacred in Russian pogroms reached America and Hitler started driving away the Jews, it became embedded in American minds that it was in their "Manifest Destiny" to find a permanent settlement for displaced Jews. In the ensuing years, America had to strike a balance between upholding her ideals -- that of protecting Israel -- and protecting her interests -- that of oil.It is easy to fault America for the region's conflicts today. What they saw however shocked them. Having succeeded in obtaining their freedom, Americans want nothing more than the same liberty to be enjoyed by peoples around the world.
Immediately upon gaining her independence, America encountered her first foreign threat -- the Middle East.Back in the day, it was far less costly to give in to extortion than to fight a war. If, indeed, oil was the one true thing that America coveted, she only needs to relinquish her support for Israel and no more American lives need be lost in the Middle East. And attributing their prosperity to Divine Providence, those who had money made pilgrimages to Palestine to see firsthand the land on which Jesus walked. Instead of spirituality, they found poverty, thievery, and a "backward" culture. But in reading the book, I came to see that America has been present in the region long before oil was discovered. But perhaps seeing in Israel her former self when droves of huddled masses left the Old World for the New in pursuit of happiness, that may not be something America can will itself do.
Whenever I mention the title to anyone, they all ask the same question: "What was the US doing in the Middle East before the end of WWII." This book answers that question so clearly. Michael Oren is a first class researcher and author. Perhaps the saddest part of the book is that if you read the first 100 pages, the early years of our involvement in the Middle East, it is like reading the New York Times. I found this book, like his book on the Six Day War, to be a "page turner", assuming that you like non-fiction. The level of detail is matched by his clear presenatation. Nothing has changed. Great book.
I accept the last theme, "established by power", but in my humble opinion, the United States motivation for Middle East hegemony is Oil, Oil, and More Oil. It led me to believe that the author himself was making the quote; but an author in third person narrative does not enclose his own thoughts in quotes.I must also offer my opinion on the author's writing style. Why is the United States in the Middle East. involvement in sub-Sahara Africa - but the results are quite different. There were many snippets of information that I found extremely interesting. This book tries to put a very pious spin on a United States foreign policy that is truly based simply on economics and politics. There were several instances where the author quotes some dialog but the quote is not referenced properly in the narrative nor the bibliographic notes.
I personally wish the author had spent more time with his research notes than with a thesaurus. According to this tome it is based on a three prong theme dominated by the most noble cause of faith while also supported by fantasy and established by power. The style for some will be edifyingly eloquent but others may find it utterly pretentious. I am sure anyone can apply the same three prong theme the author uses to describe U.S. Unfortunately, trying to overlook the obvious, the author cannot disguise his very biased viewpoint in much of the narrative.For me, there were also many quotes and references in the work that were left unexplained and without supporting notes. Maybe some of the unexplained quotes and references would be more thoroughly detailed.In the end, I did find the book informative especially considering the substantial timeframe and material the author decided to cover. It is worth a read if you have time but I caution the reader to use this work as an overview on the subject and keep in mind that in many instances the narrative viewpoint is very biased.
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