First published 2007
Michael B. Oren traces American engagement with Middle Eastern territories across more than two centuries of history. His account begins with naval battles against North African pirates during the early republic and extends through Marine operations in Falluja under George W. Bush. The narrative encompasses American explorers searching for Nile headwaters, merchants establishing trade networks, missionaries spreading religious ideas, and diplomats working toward Arab-Israeli agreements. Oren examines how American statesmen, traders, and religious figures shaped developments across regions spanning from Morocco to Iran and from the Persian Gulf to the Bosporus. Drawing from thousands of government records and private correspondence, the author reconstructs the varied methods through which Americans interacted with these distant lands. The book covers 230 years of diplomatic, military, commercial, and cultural connections. Oren demonstrates how American involvement in Middle Eastern affairs developed long before modern conflicts, revealing patterns of engagement that help explain contemporary relationships between the United States and Middle Eastern nations.
Genres: history, 20th-century, 21st-century, american-history
Vibes: intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: geopolitical-analysis, historical-narrative
Setting: Middle East, Morocco, Iran, Persian Gulf, Bosporus
Period: Early Republic, George W. Bush Administration
Audio CD · Tantor Media Inc