Product Description

Will our democracy be defined by dominance? Or by the higher values we constantly espouse? This is the central question facing us in the wake of 9/11, and Stephen Zunes shows the prospects are not promising.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #732609 in Books
• Published on: 2002-09-01
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 272 pages

From the Publisher
Stephen Zunes is an associate professor of Politics and chair of the Peace & Justice Studies Program at the University of San Francisco. He lives in Santa Cruz.

From the Author
In the aftermath of 9/11, it was apparent that there were large numbers of people who wanted a readable overview of the recent history of the U.S. role in the Middle East and current U.S. policies, a study that would critically challenge certain aspects of the U.S. role in the region but would not simply be a left-wing polemic. I wrote Tinderbox in the hope that--in addition to raising some of the important ethical and legal question regarding U.S. policy--it would primarily address how current U.S. policy actually threatens U.S. security. In covering such areas as human rights, the arms trade, U.S. military intervention, terrorism, Islamic movements, Iraq, Iran, the Arabian peninsula, Israel and Palestine, Afghanistan and related concerns, Tinderbox encourages readers to recognize that it has not been American values of freedom, democracy and rule of law that has created such an anti-American backlash in the Middle East, but the fact that U.S. policy has ignored these values through support for dictatorships and occupation armies and other violations of international law. In noting how increased U.S. militarization of the region has actually made us less secure, I conclude the book with proposed alternative policies that would create a more peaceful and stable Middle East and enhance American security in these dangerous times.

--Stephen Zunes

About the Author
A plenary speaker at recent Tikkun conferences, Stephen Zunes is the author of Tinderbox: U.S. Middle East Policy and Roots of Terrorism (2002). He has been given the seal of disapproval by the right-wing organization Campus Watch for his principled views on the U.S. and the Middle East. He is a professor of politics at the University of San Francisco.

Customer Reviews

The real deal.
Shatters the illusion that one political party has a better moral character than the other in the United States. Zunes demonstrates that both democrat and Republican administrations have contributed to the suppression of human rights abroad, and if anything have added more fuel to the fire to extremism through their shortsighted policy. This book was written just in the wake of the Iraq war, and every prediction he made came true. This book gives the reader an excellent context through which to interpret current events. You will never look at the news the same. Think hard before you buy this book though, because ignorance can be bliss.

An important book, but not the best executed
Rather than being limited to one narrow focus (e.g. militarization; support for non-democratic regimes; Israel/Palestine) 'Tinderbox' dissects multiple facets of US foreign policy in the Middle East from a fairly complete historical perspective, demonstrating the author's point that US actions *in total* are a problem. It also mixes in international relations theory without becoming dry, producing a 'one-stop' item for those interested in the overall topic. Unfortunately it suffers from a jumpy progression and its slightly outdated nature (published in late 2002, it lacks any analysis of Gulf War II or Arafat's death).

This is a well-researched book but one that continually falls short in this regard in its conclusions. I grew tired of Zunes' tendency to lay out several interesting and underreported examples only to follow them with a sweeping conclusion generally unsubstantiated by theory or fact. Others may similarly dislike the author's habit of restating his points repeatedly in a short span of pages.

If you are already sympathetic to the view that the US has been short-sighted in its dealings with the Middle East, then this book may well provide you with new information and examples to develop a further nuanced view. If this does not describe you, I do not recommend a purchase as you'll probably grit your teeth too much at the style flaws. This is a shame since the topic is invaluable and the amount of evidence gathered is enormous.

Great Read
This is a great book if you want the real story on our foreign policy in the middle east. Schools in the U.S. should teach this kind of history, not the George Washington chopped down the cherry tree and couldn't tell a lie b.s. I would recomend reading this book if you are thinking of enlisting in the armed forces, or anybody else who wants to learn about the way we treat other countries.