A balanced, extremely informative and fair-minded work.
-- Jerusalem Post Magazine

William Polk has published exactly that solid, illuminating synthesis we have long lacked, and which those studying and acting in public affairs ought to read first about the Arab world.
-- Manfred Halpern Middle East Journal

It is the depth of Professor Polk’s historical and cultural presentation and the breadth of his economic, social, and political analysis that distinguish this volume from the plethora of journalistic commentary on the subject and make it a true ‘classic.’
-- Edwin O. Reischauer, Harvard University