What's Really Wrong with the Middle East

Brian Whittaker is a long standing observer of the Middle East and wants to get beyond the usual explanations for the region’s malaise. Therefore, denunciations of Israel and the invasion of Iraq are scarce here. Plenty has been said about these topics already. The problems go beyond external interference. It might be summed up in a phrase that the problem is Egypt was not because there was a Mubarak, the deposed dictator, but there are a million Mubaraks. Political authoritarianism has deep roots., rooted in patriarchal culture, cemented by conservative understandings of Islam and reinforced by education systems that promote conformity and rote learning at the expense of critical thinking. Authoritarian regimes are hard to shake because authoritarian thinking is hard to shake in the Middle East generally. What does that mean in practice? It means, among other things, intolerance of pluralism, in religion, in lifestyles, in respect for minority rights, in politics, for fear that diversity and equality – especially sexual inequality - will undermine social solidarity. Many Arabs are able to grasp these problems and indeed much of this is written from the perspective of Arab critics who, sadly, are a minority. The human consequences of this are documented in the Arab Human Development Report. The most recent of which was produced in 2009, before the advent of the Arab Spring. This book, likewise, was written before the dramatic events of 2011. Sadly, as we have seen, the demands for dignity and equality are nowhere near being met. Read this book to find out why.

Very interesting book, I learnt a lot, but I expected more-it does not really answer my questions of what went wrong and why.

This book contains false information about Arab. A racist book

my review to this prodauct i found it as i see it in the web it is in good coundation

I really enjoyed this book - it was very readable. It has a pretty ambitious scope - a discussion of Arab society and politics taking in the whole region both contemporaneously and with historical insight. The chapters address in turn1. the influence of Islam on society, its conservative influence on social values and the effect this has on the political system.2. the influence of corruption and "favours" on limiting the development of a meritocratic state,3. the political repression of Arab leaders and the political hypocrisy of western governments, happy to turn a blind eye to it for "allies."4. the double standards in speaking out against human rights abuses abroad (eg Guantanamo) but staying silent on those occurring at home,5. the concept of society as a much more cohesive force than in the west - where people forgo personal happiness for the good of their family or to prevent shame being brought upon their family name.6. the failure of the Arab bloc to organise in any serious political or economic manner like seen with the EU....it contains a wide range of quotes from a selection of Arabic thinkers, writers and residents, which do offer an interesting insight into how such ideas are debated in the regionand like any good book which offers up criticisms, it finishes with suggestions for how the middle east can reform into a more democratic and less repressive region....which crucially must happen from within, and won't happen simply from external western pressure.overall i would recommend this book to anyone interested in learning more about the middle east and Arabic society....