This excellent history of the Middle East, a paperbound reprint of the 2009 edition, provides readers with a compelling narrative that explains the current state of the wider Arab world through an exploration of the major periods in its recent history. Divided chronologically, the work examines the period of Ottoman rule from 1516 to the early 1800s, the era of European colonization, the Cold War era, and the ongoing period of U.S. intervention. Drawing on primary source material, the work discusses the continuity of Arab culture in relation to dominating external powers and provides a cogent analysis of the current political and religious conflicts gripping the nations of the Arab world. The work includes a collection of color plates. Rogan is a professor of Middle East studies at St. Anthony's College, Oxford. Annotation ©2012 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)