The Arabs: A History

Name: The Arabs: A History
Author: Eugene Rogan
ISBN: 0465071007

by Eugene Rogan

What it's about

Eugene Rogan provides a narrative history of the Arab world from the Ottoman conquest in 1517 to the present day. He argues that modern Arab history is defined by a struggle against foreign intervention and a lingering sense of powerlessness in determining their own political fate.

Key ideas

The legacy of foreign rule: Arab political boundaries and systems were largely shaped in European capitals, stripping local populations of agency for centuries.
Mutual perceptions of threat: Western fears of terrorism mirror Arab fears of Western imperialism, creating a cycle of resentment that fuels ongoing regional instability.
The burden of history: The memory of early Islamic dominance serves as both a source of pride and a painful contrast to the perceived stagnation of the modern era.
The Palestinian experience: The displacement of Palestinians transformed regional politics and remains an unresolved wound that dictates how Arabs view their relationship with the West.

You'll love this book if...

You want to understand the historical roots of current Middle Eastern conflicts without the typical Western-centric bias.
You are looking for a clear, chronological explanation of how the modern Arab states were formed after the collapse of the Ottoman Empire.

Best for

Students of history and international relations seeking to understand the Arab perspective on the past five hundred years.

Books with the same vibe

A History of the Arab Peoples by Albert Hourani
The Modern Middle East by James L. Gelvin
From Beirut to Jerusalem by Thomas L. Friedman

23 popular highlights from this book

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Key Insights & Memorable Quotes

The most popular highlights from The Arabs: A History, saved by readers on Screvi.

“The Arab people are haunted by a sense of powerlessness . . . powerlessness to suppress the feeling that you are no more than a lowly pawn on the global chessboard even as the game is being played in your backyard.”6 Unable to achieve their aims in the modern world, the Arabs see themselves as pawns in the game of nations, forced to play by other peoples’ rules. This”

“Many in the West see the greatest threat to their security and way of life coming from the Arab and Islamic worlds, in what is now known as jihadi terror. They don’t understand that many in the Arab and Islamic worlds see the greatest threat to their security and way of life coming from the West. What should be apparent to both sides is that there is a real connection between Arab stagnation and frustration, on the one hand, and the terror threat that so preoccupies Western democracies, on the other. Western”

“From 1517 onward, the Arabs would negotiate their place in the world through rules set in foreign capitals, a political reality that would prove one of the defining features of modern Arab history.”

“jalón”

“subvertir”

“minar”

“acerba”

“aupado”

“escindida”

“imbuir”

“pergeñaría”

“azuzó”

“envites”

“aupar”

“As far as Western public opinion was concerned, the displaced Arabs of Palestine were no different than Arabs in Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, or Egypt and would be absorbed by their host countries in due course.”

“pírrica,”

“Gillo Pontecorvo’s 1965 film, The Battle of Algiers.”

“escindido”

“ingente”

“escisión”

“descabalgado”

“The era of early Islam is a source of pride to all Arabs as a bygone age when the Arabs were the dominant power in the world, but resonates in particular with Islamists, who argue that the Arabs were greatest when they adhered most closely to their Muslim faith. Kassir”