It's short, it's packed with information, it's in a question & answer format... there's very little not to love. You will learn, whether you want to or not; and this should be required reading for journalists and editorialists. Okay, there are two things not to like: first, it's like reading 160 pages of wikileaks cables, albeit with only the important stuff left in. Second, he insists on calling middle eastern capitalists 'crony capitalists.' It's not clear to me how they're any different from our capitalists, other than being new arrivals to the system in which they get rich and millions of others do not. Different from perfect capitalism, yes; from actually existing capitalists, no. Is that important in the context of this book? Not at all. Highly recommended. ( )

This is a useful introduction to the history and politics of the region. Covered in a question-and-answer format that makes it pretty easy to read and absorb. While academic in tone (not surprisingly), this brief exploration is not overly weighed-down with footnotes and references. It's nice that most of these references are on the Web.

If you're looking for a way to start understanding what's happening in Egypt, Syria, Libya and the other Arab countries living through uprisings, this is the book. You'll also learn more about US foreign policy too. ( )