A World of Trouble

November 3, 2008
In this epic, remarkably readable history of U.S. involvement in the Middle East from Eisenhower to Bush II, Washington Post
reporter Tyler uses an up-close, journalistic style to depict the power struggles and compromises that have defined the past half-century. Tyler focuses on key turning points in U.S.–Middle East relations and documents the conversations and real-time decision-making processes of the presidents, cabinet members and other key figures. Readers are treated to an intimate view of Eisenhower's careful, steady diplomacy during the Suez crisis, Kissinger's egocentric and fateful decision to fully arm Israel in the October war of 1973 while Nixon struggled through the Watergate scandal, and the tangled web of communication and intentional deceit during the Reagan administration that led to the Iran-Contra scandal. Tyler makes the issues and relationships clear without resorting to oversimplification or ideological grandstanding, and his journalistic instincts steer him toward direct quotation and telling anecdotes rather than generalization. Readers in the market for an examination of how leadership has embroiled the U.S. in the Middle East are well-advised to consult this riveting text.

Author Patrick Tyler writes of the political relationship between the U.S. and the Middle East from the 1950s to the present. His understanding of the subject and the personalities, told in eloquent prose, provides all the detail one could ever seek on the subject. Narrator Michael Prichard handles the international vocabulary with aplomb. His ability to turn laborious historical narrative into nuanced, comfortable sentences makes the story easy to follow and remember. His narration complements the information by making it more animated than mere words on a page. Prichard attempts to replicate the voices of Kissinger and Nixon, and his subtle characterizations set them apart. The information comprises an essential piece in the puzzle one must master to understand world history following WWII. J.A.H. (c) AudioFile 2009, Portland, Maine