Occidentalism, The West in the Eyes of Its Enemies
| Author | Erez Manela |
| DOI | 10.1177/002070200506000134 |
| Published date | 01 March 2005 |
| Date | 01 March 2005 |
| Subject Matter | Review |
Reviews
(l0)
which changed Israel's politics in the aftermath
of
its stunning vic-
tory in the Six Day War
of
1967. Equally felicitous is his description
of
Palestinian leader
Yasser
Arafat's "familiar proclivity to equivocate in
difficult
and
complex situations" (67).
Rabinovich concludes his
book
with
asurvey
of
contemporary
Middle Eastern political realities.
The
picture he draws isanything
but
encouraging. To the numerous causes
of
uncertainty
and
instability
inherent
to
the region have most recently been added the outcomes
of
the United States' unfortunate and ill-conceived military invasion
of
Iraq.
Without
profound
political
and
socio-economic changes
and
reforms, "the Middle East islikely to be buffeted by endemic instabili-
ty-an
instability that is bound to denyArab-Israeli reconciliation
and
peace the environment indispensable to their success" (313).
Readers may agree or disagree with some
of
Rabinovich's interpreta-
tions or conclusions,
but
few are likely to judge this book anything less
than a first-rate piece
of
narrative, analysis, and synthesis. It is highly
recommended.
Louis A. Delvoie/Centre for International Relations, Queen's
University
aCCIDENTALISM
The
West in the Eyes
of
Its Enemies
Ian Buruma
and
Avishai Margalit
New York: Penguin, 2004. 166pp, $33.00 cloth
(ISBN
1-59420-008-
4)
",\VJhydo they hate us?" This question has resonated widely in
Wthe United States and the rest
of
the west since the events
of
11 September 2001,
and
there isnary a commentator who has
not
ven-
tured an answer.
The
explanations have been diverse,
but
most have
revolved around
the
specific relationship
of
the
United States, or the
west more generally, with the Middle East. It is the legacy
of
western
imperialism; or
of
US
policies; or it is the result
of
problems particular
to the region: lack
of
democracy,
of
economic opportunity,
of
the right
of
political dissent and free speech.
The
authors
of
this slim
but
expan-
sive volume, however, offer a different perspective. For Buruma, a pro-
lific author-journalist
with
aspecial interest in things Asian,
and
)16
INTERNATIONAL
JOURNAL
Winter
2004-2005
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