The Middle East’s ‘World of Trouble’

Shortly before theinvasion of Iraq,CIA Director George Tenet experienced a meltdown in front of Saudi royalfamily. This was the beginningof Gulf War II, and even before the first shots were fired, Tenet knew twothings: one, there was no credible intelligence that would warrant another Gulfwar, and two, the failures of the ill-begotten and largely illegal war wouldhang on Tenet, making him a scapegoat of the Bush administration. He knew thatthis war was mostly based on arrogance and greed.

The Middle East has lured numerous presidents over the years, from Ike toGeorge W. While the reasons for these incursionsinto the Middle East are perpetually vague,one word stands out: oil.

That is not to say thatAmerican foreign policy is based only on greed; however, the policies thatfollow forays into the Middle East are, atbest, one-sided. After World War II, U.S.foreign policy was forever bound to various oil-rich kingdoms anddictatorships, leading to a balancing act between benevolence and greed.

Author Patrick Tylerattempts to bridge the gaps of information and propaganda in the timely A World of Trouble (Farrar, Straus andGiroux). Tyler keenly unravels the mysteries ofthe Middle East in easily digestible blocks ofhistory and shows how foreign policy was shaped to the benefit of the victors,rogues and would-be players. Tyler’s account ofAmerican presidents and their policies is factual and poses an honest look intothe power brokers who attempted to shape and reshape the Middle East, from sultans and kings to freedom fighters and rogues, andfurther cracks open the myths and realities of unique players like King Husseinand Saddam Hussein.

Tyler also delves into the facts andfictions regarding the birth of modern Israel and the delicate balancebetween nation making and breaking during the Cold War.

A World of Trouble is sparsely illustrated withblack-and-white photos that help readers to keep each chapter in a historicalcontext. It’s not light reading, however, and there are ample opportunities forreaders to get stuck in a quagmire of droll minutiae. But AWorld of Trouble is perfect for history buffs and those who are comfortableskipping ahead.