Recent Publication

Arab-Israeli Conflict

Jerusalem 1900: The Holy City in the Age of Possibilities, by Vincent Lemire. Second edition. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2017. 224 pages. $45. In this English edition of Jerusalem 1900, Vincent Lemire, a lecturer in contemporary history at the University of Marne-la-Vallée, attempts to narrate a period of Israeli-Palestinian history during which a peaceful future with coexistent religions seemed possible. Each chapter addresses a different aspect of the sociopolitical environment in Jerusalem in the early 20^th century, as affected by religious segregation and interaction, unresolved holy sites, political change and unrest, and colonial influence. Ultimately, however, a combination of rising nationalism, British Mandatory rule, and World War I pushed the city into the beginning of an “age of extremes” by 1917. While the author briefly explains the following decades and how they have led the city to where it is today, he closes on a more positive note, recalling Jerusalem 1900 as a time when peace and coexistence were possible — and one day could be again. (MM)

ALGERIA

Inside the Battle of Algiers: Memoir of a Woman Freedom Fighter, by Zohra Drif. Foreword by Lakhdar Brahimi. Trans. from the French by Andrew Farrand. Charlottesville, CA: Just World Books, 2017. This memoir of the French-educated young law student who volunteered for and rose to prominence in the National Liberation Army (ALN) offers a personal account of the momentous events memorialized in the classic film, The Battle of Algiers. Drif’s account traces her personal and political journey from her early life in a traditional, provincial Muslim family, to her “nationalist awakening” and participation in armed struggle; arrest, incarceration, sentencing to death, and release; and distinguished career in law and politics in Algeria, including her time as parliamentarian and vice president. (Ed.)

IRAN

Iran and China: A New Approach to Their Bilateral Relations, by Shirzad Azad. Lanham, MD: Lexington Books, 2017. 109 pages. $85. In this slim volume, Shirzad Azad examines the twists and turns of Iran-China relations since the early 1980s. Organized into five chapters, the book begins with a discussion of the circumstances that led the two countries to reestablish official ties following the Iranian Revolution. The second and third chapters examine the progress in the development of the relationship in the wake of the Iran-Iraq War (1980–88) and the ebb and flow of Iran-China relations during the presidency of Mohammed Khatami (1997–2005), respectively. Chapter five explores Iran’s “omnidirectional” foreign policy under the administration of President Hassan Rouhani (2013–) and implications for relations with China, and concludes with a delineation of three possible paths the bilateral relationship might follow. (Ed.)

IRAQ

The Struggle for Iraq: A View from the Ground Up, by Thomas M. Renahan. Potomac, MD: Potomac Press, 2017. 536 pages. $36.95. After participating in three civilian tours in Iraq as part of efforts by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to rebuild the Iraqi government in the fallout from the 2003 invasion, Thomas Renahan writes about his experiences and observations as a public servant during this tumultuous time as a contrast to the military side of the story that many have previously been exposed to. Arriving three days before the fall of President Saddam Husayn, the book begins with Renahan’s initial experience with launching a democracy campaign in a provincial town in southern Iraq; subsequent sections of the book explore his involvement as an anti-corruption manager in Baghdad and a consultant to the Kurdistan Regional Government. His insights as a civilian on the ground will inform readers not only of the difficulties that lay ahead in the continuing state-building effort but the endurance of the mutual vision for reconciliation. (NK)

The Modern History of Iraq, by Phebe Marr with Ibrahim al-Marashi. Fourth edition. Boulder, CO: Westview Press, 2017. 500 pages. $47. This account of the emergence of the modern state of Iraq and the forces that shaped it brings into sharp focus several themes that have dominated the country’s history: identity and its impact on the Iraqi state; the process of social and economic development; the development of political institutions and ideologies...