The Modern History of Jordan

Rating:
Summary: A Modern History of Jordan
Review: Jordan-that country conjured out of sand and hills by Winston Churchill at the Cairo conference in March 1921--has always had a question mark over its existence. For the first thirty years, King 'Abdullah tried to trade Amman, his backwater capital, for Damascus or Jerusalem. King Husayn struggled during four decades to fend off many predators, including Gamal Abdel Nasser and the PLO. As recently as July 1994, he stated that Jordan "is susceptible to fragmentation." Salibi, professor of history at the American University of Beirut, provides an excellent basis for grappling with these fundamental questions about the Jordanian polity. In two of the book's most important chapters, he chronicles the Hashemite dynasty which produced the kings of Jordan and tells the history of the territory that Churchill would eventually make into Jordan. Particularly important for today's Jordan-is-Palestine advocates to note, Salibi shows that the British did not control Transjordan during the eight critical months between the French conquest of Damascus in July 1920 and the Cairo Conference. The sections dealing with more recent history provide a competent and useful account of political developments, but they do not provide new perspectives; more surprisingly, they have nothing to say about the culture and economy of modern Jordan, a major lapse.

Middle East Quarterly, September 1994

Rating:
Summary: Quite informative
Review: Salibi writes with his usual lucid and detailed style making this book a pleasure to read. Despite his attempts at objectivity, the book was careful, in fact too careful, to insult the sensibilites of some parties. Salibi attempeted to trudge his way through the sensitivity of many historical controversaies in an attempt to be fair to all parties concerned. FOr those expecting a critical account of history, do not expect much. However, if you are merely looking for a interesting history of modern Jordan, this is your book especially in relation to the minor details many historians overlook in the process of grand theorisation.

Rating:
Summary: Big fish, small pond
Review: This is THE book on the history of Jordan. I mean that literally: you won't find any other general works in English. Salibi is a respected historian who has written interesting works about Lebanon, so this tepid history of Jordan is something of a disappointment. It's not an awful book, but nor is it a very good one.

This is a history intended for the general reader, so it lacks detail and analysis, but it fails to make up for this in readability. The writing, while accessible, is hardly inspired. Salibi notes that he was given access to (former) Crown Prince Hassan's private library for the book, and reading his hagiographical treatment of Abdullah and Hussein, one wonders how beholden to the Hashemite throne Salibi is.

Still, it's the only game in town.