The Arabs

Rating:
Summary: A Needed Perspective
Review: As we in the West still focus on Middle Eastern states and their government institutions when formulating policy, Lamb's book provides an interesting view of what's happening on the streets of the Middle East: the views, habits, and perspectives of ordinary Arabs. The edition I read was dated, but it still highlighted the importance of watching social and cultural trends in the Middle East.

The governments of Egypt, Saudi Arabia, etc. all face rising popular discontent, and Lamb's book seems like a good start in trying to see where these trends could go.

Not being an Arab, I can't testify to his bias, but he seemed balanced to me--he pointed out the good and the bad, which is all any writer can do. No native of any region that a "foreigner" writes about is ever satisfied with the result, so there's little point in trying. I would point out, however, that those same foreigners undoubtedly have views of the United States that are less than informed.

Rating:
Summary: The Arabs
Review: At last, there is a fair and unbiased vision for the arab people. The west used to look for arabs , as hostile and antiwest minds.In this book, lamb put the evidences that show the real image.
David lamb wrote a very nice desciption for the arab identity.
In his analysis , he depended upon many trusted referances as well as living among arab community for long time.
I liked his historical analysis for terrorism and history of aggressive movments in the middle east.
He demonstrated that it is quite unfair vision of the west to arab people.
I invite every European and American to read this unbiased analysis that may explain why the world suffer from instability now.

Rating:
Summary: A Good Starting Place.
Review: I always feel akward in trying to review or analyze books on the middle east. While I try to 'understand' middle eastern politics, societies and history, I know that i will never be able to actually understand it. And while i am well-read and have an M.A. in political studies, I have never felt much familiarity, despite my effotrs, on middle eastern politics.

Mr. Lamb quickly tells me why this might be, as if i didn't already sort-of know, in his introduction. That is that the difference between the West and the Middle East's lifestyle is just night and day. Individual autonomy is king here; group cohesiveness is king there. Secularism is just an accepted thing here; it is often unthinkable there. We are so comfortable with democracy and all that comes with it here; it is still quite new and alien there. None of these are meant to suggest Western superiority; just to illustrate that if one is Western (unless one has a middle eastern ancestry, perhaps), one will never really be able to enter the mindset of the Middle East.

For all that, though, Mr. Lamb gives a good try and in light of what I said, that seems all that can be expected. He is a Westerner and, as another reviewer derogatorily stated, a Western Patriot. He sees things from a Western perspective and is the first to admit that as such, he never was quite able to shed the 'western eyes.' But he gave it a good go, and in that, the book deserves all the four stars I've given it.

This book was written well before Sept. 11th, which is refreshing. It is not a polemical tract; nor is it a scholarly work of history or political theory. While the book is not 'unbiased' in any sense that Mr. Lamb does not have a definitely American vantage point, it is 'unbiased' in the sense that Mr. Lamb refrains from taking too many sides or making many polemical arguments.

Rather, it is a work of journalism - the tales of Mr. Lamb's four years in the Middle East. He goes through the variou religious, political, social, and historical climates and backdrops that are (or at least to him, are) the Middle East. From Saudi Arabia, to Egypt, to Bahrain, he does a good job at examining the past and present context of Middle Eastern culture(s). And as the book was written pre-Sept. 11th (and only minorly updated with sprinkles about the attacks) it is not as frantic as most of the post-Sept. 11th books. It is truly a good read and for the lay person, a great one.

That said, Mr. Lamb comes away seemingly pessimistic about the Middle East. The problem he seems to have the hardest time with, while never coming right out to say it, is the problem most Westerners have. The West is always inclined to look forward; we are looking for the new innovations, new ways of doing things, improvements to be made, and how the future contains new and ever increasing knowledge to help us move on. Our only rule is that there is no rule so sacrosant that we cannot alter it if need permits.

The Middle East, at least as he and many others see it, is much more intent on traditionalism; if it wasn't in the Koran or have some tie in with tradition, it is ill-accepted. Even when legitimately trying to look ahead, the Middle East seems easily undercut by wanting to look back to the past. Islam encourages this, as the Koran is held to be relevant to all places AND ALL TIMES. Monarchy, dictatorship, fundamentalism, and what we westerners would (rightly or wrongly) call extreme social conservatism are not only prevelant, but seem inerradicable. Whether these judgments are right or wrong, I cannot say; I am not a middle-eastern scholar. Mr. Lamb, though, does seem to be saying the same thing as many others who've explored the region.

To conclude, this book tries to be as unbiased as possible. Does it succeed? Probably not. Will any Westerner's book succeed in this goal? Probably not. Does that mean it is not valuable? No; it is simply the best we may expect. It is well written, layed out, and thorough. Mr. Lamb tries to be sympathetic to as many people as he can, and in that alone, the book is better than most out there. I strongly reccomend it especially if, like me, you are simultaneouly fascinated, mystified, curious, and confused about this thing called the Middle East.

Rating:
Summary: Anecdotal and Unexamined
Review: I read reviews of this book before reading it myself and kept seeing mention of whether or not the author was biased, but no one mentioned what that bias is. (Usually "bias" is a code-word for "left.") He is most certainly biased, but in a peculiar way.

First off, Lamb is an American Patriot - and I mean that in every negative sense of the term. When it comes to his analysis of U.S. foreign policy toward the Arab world, the worst he assumes about the U.S. government is ignorance - never malice or conscious deception (that has been well documented). There are fellow journalists in the Arab world that he clearly ignores, since I know they have reported less U.S.-friendly information that would have been available to Lamb.

Lamb does have a special place in his heart for Arabs though, and he gives the generic Arab a fairly favorable, if not sentimental, nod. He does try to break down some of the simplest and most detestable of stereotypes (though he consciously repeats a few of them himself).

When it comes time to analyze particular leaders or events, his analysis is often shortsighted and unexamined. He is good at giving a brief overview of historical events of the second half of the 20th century (why I gave him 2 stars), but when he explores motivations he quickly slips into his own personal estimation of a leader's personality (openly calls one "stupid," for example) and misses some obvious aspects of the social and political conditions of the given country.

Lamb is a journalist, so this book is quite anecdotal in nature (as opposed to historical or analytical). For me, its value lay in those anecdotes that were told in enough detail that I could glean something for myself. It was the childish nature of some of his "deeper" thoughts, though, that make me not recommend this book to anyone. There is a need for greater understanding of the Arab world by U.S. citizens, but I hope there are better sources out there (I'm still looking).

Rating:
Summary: gain understanding
Review: Lamb's writing style is very readable, but his opinions would be better kept to himself. The book did give interesting insights into the sea of crises that is the Middle East. Read it if you have no other source.

Rating:
Summary: Arab thru american eyes
Review: Mr. lamb offers an honest unbiased critique of the Arab countries. His remarks consist of very complimentary remarks and very critical comments. Both are honest with reasoning put forth with them. I highly recommend this book.

Rating:
Summary: Interesting and Informative Read
Review: This book was a great introduction into many aspects of Arab culture. Highly recommend it to anyone before making a decision about current Arab-American relations.