Rating: 
Summary: Saw the Charlie Rose Interview
Review: Khalidi, like many doom sayer Chomsky-type liberals, does not take into account the variables of the present. America is not seeking to make Iraq the 51st state. This administration's goal is clear: America can no longer "roll the dice" and hope for the best from the Mideastern despots and islamic potentates who preach that anyone who is not Muslim is an infidel. Khalidi fails to recognize that America's policy towards the middle east will bring about a more pluralist, secular middle-east with human (especially women's) rights, properity and ultimately peace for all.
Rating: 
Summary: Wake up call
Review: Mr. Khalidi's vast knowledge of the Middle East is obvious in this book. He explores the historical and ideological paths that have brought our country to this chilling situation. He clearly illustrates the hypocracy of America between what it claims it's values are (freedom, democracy, liberty) and the actions it perpetrates against other countries at our leisure.
America is surely the richest and most spoiled kid on the block and books like these are a wake up call and a warning. The international community is fed up with our arrogance, greed and need to dominate. I know I am.
I love my country enough to speak the truth about the wrongs we are doing. America has fallen and only we the people can help her rise again.
Rating: 
Summary: America should read colonial history, says Khalidi
Review: Rashid Khalidi warned in his latest book of the transformation of the United States into an empire, following in the footsteps of former Western empires whose fate was colonial failure after a bitter and failing confrontation with the colonies'natives.
Published in 2004 slightly after the American liberation of Baghdad, Khalidi's book, Empire, can be divided into five main parts. The first part criticizes the American war on Iraq saying that it was uncalled for and waged by people driven by their personal interests more than their claims of defending
America against the danger of terrorism. In the second part, Khalidi highlighted the failure of British and France to colonize most of the Arab world saying that behind this failure, there was popular determination to win independence.
In this part, historian Khalidi committed a lot of anachronisms. He failed to put what he termed the national struggle in its greater regional and international context. Was the Palestinian revolution against the British out of national motives or was it instigated by the growing power of the axis countries that were trying to win back colonies they had lost to
Britain and France in WWI?
Khalidi's emotional description of what he sees as struggle for national sovereignty is perhaps the only drawback in his book. Khalidi then moves to describe the growth of relations between the United States and the Arab world ever since the 1919 post WWI Versailles Conference delegated what came to be known as the King-Crane Commission to learn about the Arab peoplesÕ whishes.
The committee astoundingly founded that Arabs thought, if mandate was their only option, they would go for American mandate. The Arab perspective of America changed drastically, however, especially with the growing interest of American oil firms in the region.
The anti-American Arab sentiment grew even further with America heavily interfering in favor of the Israelis in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.
According to Khalidi, the United States failed to deliver all the promises that it would pressure Israel to stop its aggressive policy of settlement of Palestinian land during Palestinian-Israeli peace negotiations.
Khalidi also fell heavily on late Palestinian leader Yasir Arafat accusing him of sabotaging the peace process in favor of his personal interests and the interests of his corrupt entourage.
Rating:
Summary: Articulate, Comprehensive, and Foresightful
Review: This is a more thoughtful review than the one I had previously written.
First, I would still like to say that this is an exceptionally well-written book.
Professor Khalidi provides a much needed history lesson about the Middle East that most Americans are completely clueless about.
Written in a straightforward tone, Professor Khalidi's bona fides and sage advice are a refreshing counterbalance to the shallow, narrow-minded political commentators and other incompetents who reinforce racist stereotypes about the people, culture, and ouverall image of the Middle East.
Professor Khalidi presents a sharp, highly focused view of why Western encounters with the Middle East is fraught with so much turmoil and resistance.
He describes how the people of the Middle East resent the fact that control over their rich oil supply has always been structured to benefit Western needs and international commerce, how Western policies which rely exclusively on military force exacerbates and strengthens their resistance, and the unchanging, sanctimonious public declarations of bringing democracy and freedom on the one hand, and the unavowed agenda to control and direct the economies of the Middle East on the other hand that leads to the anger, fear, and distrust of anything Western imposed upon them.
For example, look at the current situation in Iraqi and the "100 Orders" enacted by L. Paul Bremer III, the former head of the Coalition Provisional Authority(CPA) and how its impact will leave the Iraqi people neither in control of their economic future nor free to come and go as they please.
Specifically, Order No. 39:(2.)100% foreign ownership of all Iraqis businesses.
This means that U.S. corporations such as Halliburton can buy up Iraqis businesses, do all the work , and send all the money back home. They are not required to hire Iraqis or reinvest in the Iraqi economy.
Thus, these "Orders" will not only devastate local Iraqis businesses, it will also burden the country with an enormous amount of debt.
Professor Khalidi's chapter on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict illustrates how uneven and lopsided the U.S. media's coverage is, apropos of what is actually happening on the ground.
While most Americans are aware of the injuries and killings that occur on both sides of this conflict and are deeply appalled and sickened by all this bloodshed, what Americans do not realize is how biased this cycle of violence is portrayed in the U.S. media.
The familiar pattern, in which a Palestinian suicide bomber kills innocent Israeli civilians and shatters their relative calm, this image then dominates the news, the Israeli army retaliates, and then the coverage dies down until another suicide bombing occurs.
While these images are shocking and horrifying, and no decent human being would ever condone suicide killings, it is the lack of and/or scant coverage of the violence that is routinely perpetuated against innocent Palestinian civilians living in the occupied territories, by Israeli soldiers, on an almost daily basis, since the intifada began in September 2000, and disproportionately kills and wounds more Palestinians(26,053) than Israelis(6,752) and therefore leads Palestinians to believe that some lives are more valuable and deserving of public acknowledgement and sympathy than others.
I, along with one of my favorite scientists, Albert Einstein, envisioned a peaceful, coexistence between Israelis and Palestinians.
However, after reading Professor Khalidi's book this ideal goal may be more wishful thinking than one grounded in reality.
Unless the leaders, Yasir Arafat and Ariel Sharon, change their obsolete, belligerent attitudes in which the end of the conflict means one side comes under the complete domination of the other and instead try to find a win-win solution, it is hard to believe that there will ever be peace in the Holy Land.
And speaking of leaders, our U.S. leaders constantly boast about the fact that America is the greatest democracy in the world, yet, when it comes to dealing with complex issues involving the Middle East, they do not adhere to its values.
Rather than endlessly and mindlessly debating within the same narrow circle of opinions, which are conjectural, reckless, and futile, they should welcome, encourage, and thoughtfully examine and listen to other points-of-view and perspectives, such as Professor Khalidi's.
By doing this, it will remove some of the persistent, intransigent cultural biases, and promote an open dialogue and diplomatic exchange that will hopefully lead to a gradual conflict resolution between Middle Easterners and Americans.
Finally, it is important to realize that restoring access and control of the rich resources and its benefits to the people of the Middle East and building a strong, fully-functioning democracy from the bottom-up, one which will not be vulnerable to foreign intervention, will be the sine qua non of ensuring, long-term peace and stability and resurrecting this beautiful and grand region known as the cradle of civilization.
Thank you Professor Khalidi for having the courage to write this book and enlightening our minds with your keen insight and superior, in-depth knowledge of the history of the modern Middle East!
Rating: 
Summary: Misunderstanding history and events
Review: This reputed 'experts account' does not live up to its name, it is full of the usual propaganda that America wants to 'colonize' and usher in a 'new imperialism' in the Middle east. If the thesis were true then America would have already taken over the UAE, and Kuwait and Saudi. The reality is that America has no interest in colonization, only stability. If stability in the region requires dumping some dictators and invading some countries then that is going to be a fact in the world, as long as America is the Hegemon. But unlike the English America has no interest in governing people, especially people as savage as the Afghanis. This book tries to pretend that a new imperial age is being opened up where America and England will once again become astride the world. The fact is that the only countries to try to colonize the middle east recently were the Soviets. In fact America has time and again supported the indigenous religions of the Middle east, allowing the Saudis to become a semi-fascist Sharia state and aiding the Jihad in Afghanistan while allying with the Islamist Zia in Pakistan. America has time and again saved Middle eastern nations, whether it was pressuring Israel to sign cease fires or helping the Turks invade Cyprus or supporting Pakistan against India and defending Kuwaiti Autonomy America has actually helped Middle eastern states colonize non-Muslim states such as Cyprus and Lebanon. This is the reality. Unfortunately this book is in the theme of all those who use 'new imperialism' as an excuse to preach hate and intolerance of the west and as an excuse to attack the west. Seth J. Frantzman
Rating:
Summary: Misunderstanding history and events
Review: This reputed `experts account' does not live up to its name, it is full of the usual propaganda that America wants to `colonize' and usher in a `new imperialism' in the Middle east. If the thesis were true then America would have already taken over the UAE, and Kuwait and Saudi. The reality is that America has no interest in colonization, only stability. If stability in the region requires dumping some dictators and invading some countries then that is going to be a fact in the world, as long as America is the Hegemon. But unlike the English America has no interest in governing people, especially people as savage as the Afghanis. This book tries to pretend that a new imperial age is being opened up where America and England will once again become astride the world. The fact is that the only countries to try to colonize the middle east recently were the Soviets. In fact America has time and again supported the indigenous religions of the Middle east, allowing the Saudis to become a semi-fascist Sharia state and aiding the Jihad in Afghanistan while allying with the Islamist Zia in Pakistan. America has time and again saved Middle eastern nations, whether it was pressuring Israel to sign cease fires or helping the Turks invade Cyprus or supporting Pakistan against India and defending Kuwaiti Autonomy America has actually helped Middle eastern states colonize non-Muslim states such as Cyprus and Lebanon. This is the reality. Unfortunately this book is in the theme of all those who use `new imperialism' as an excuse to preach hate and intolerance of the west and as an excuse to attack the west. Seth J. Frantzman
Rating:
Summary: The book Bush should have read
Review: When an administration clothes itself in secrecy, oblivious to the history of a region before charging into war, it runs the risk of failure. As Rashid Khalidi carefully explains, this is exactly what is happening in Iraq and the consequences will long be felt. "Resurrecting Empire" is a hard-hitting critique of a White House that has gotten us into a mess with no end in sight. It is a timely book exposing the naivete of leaders with tunnel vision. The author writes with a serious and often weighty pen; this is not a book to be read in one sitting. Khalidi effectively lays out the history of the region, the strategic importance of oil, the Palestinian/Israeli situation and America's reactions and responses to what has happened in the Middle East prior to the U.S. occupation of Iraq, and what the ramifications may be. I found those chapters about oil and Palestine to be the most fascinating sections of the book. Oil is an issue that the Bush White House doesn't like to talk about too much and the Palestinian question, as the author points out, has become even more of a problem with the administration's tilt toward Israel. "Resurrecting Empire" is a highly laudable work and is for the serious reader who wants to get to know more about the heart and the history of this volatile region of the world. Had Bush and his cronies made any attempt to learn more of what the Middle East is like, the United States might not be in the rough situation we face in Iraq today.
Rating:
Summary: What You Need To Know About The Middle East
Review: You can read this book in a single evening. You will then know more about the Middle East and the Iraq War than anybody in a position of authority in the Bush Administration, with the possible exception of Secretary of State Colin Powell, who does not seem to have much influence on what happens. At the end of the book, Professor Khalidi has this to say about the "exorbitant price" of imperial adventures in the Middle East, such as those of Britain, France and now the United States of America: "This is a price -- in lives, in treasure, and in reputation -- that we as Americans should think very carefully about, before submitting to the siren song of those who tell us that empire is easy and cheap, and that in any case the price is worth paying."
Rating:
Summary: What You Need To Know About The Middle East
Review: You can read this book in a single evening. You will then know more about the Middle East and the Iraq War than anybody in a position of authority in the Bush Administration, with the possible exception of Secretary of State Colin Powell, who does not seem to have much influence on what happens. At the end of the book, Professor Khalidi has this to say about the "exorbitant price" of imperial adventures in the Middle East, such as those of Britain, France and now the United States of America: "This is a price -- in lives, in treasure, and in reputation -- that we as Americans should think very carefully about, before submitting to the siren song of those who tell us that empire is easy and cheap, and that in any case the price is worth paying."
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