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A World of Trouble: The White House and the Middle East--from the Cold War to the War on Terror Paperback – February 16, 2010

by Patrick Tyler (Author)
4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 32 ratings
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A spellbinding narrative account of America in the Middle East that "reads almost like a thriller" (The Economist)

The Middle East is the beginning and the end of U.S. foreign policy: events there influence our alliances, make or break presidencies, govern the price of oil, and draw us into war. But it was not always so―and as Patrick Tyler shows in A World of Trouble, a thrilling chronicle of American misadventures in the region. The story of American presidents' dealings there is one of mixed motives, skulduggery, deceit, and outright foolishness, as well as of policymaking and diplomacy.

Tyler draws on newly opened presidential archives to dramatize the approach to the Middle East across U.S. presidencies from Eisenhower to George W. Bush. He takes us into the Oval Office and shows how our leaders made momentous decisions; at the same time, the sweep of this narrative―from the Suez crisis to the Iran hostage crisis to George W. Bush's catastrophe in Iraq―lets us see the big picture as never before. Tyler tells a story of presidents being drawn into the affairs of the region against their will, being kept in the dark by local potentates, being led astray by grasping subordinates, and making decisions about the internal affairs of countries they hardly understand. Above all, he shows how each president has managed to undo the policies of his predecessor, often fomenting both anger against America on the streets of the region and confusion at home.

A World of Trouble is the Middle East book we need now: compulsively readable, free of cant and ideology, and rich in insight about the very human challenges a new president will face as he or she tries to restore America's standing in the region.

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Previous page
  1. Print length
    656 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Farrar, Straus and Giroux
  4. Publication date
    February 16, 2010
  5. Dimensions
    5.5 x 1.44 x 8.5 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    0374532001
  7. ISBN-13
    978-0374532000
  8. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

“An authoritative, richly detailed account of American policy in the Middle East . . . [Tyler] writes vividly, allowing the reader access to White House meetings, huddles in the corridors of power, seats at international summits.” ―Adam LeBor, The New York Times

“Patrick Tyler . . . has written an engaging but idiosyncratic account of U.S. interactions with the Middle East from 1956 onward.” ―Steven Simon, The Washington Post

“Tyler documents not the interest of Israel but the cost in treasure and blood that the United States and the Middle East peoples have paid during decades without a coherent US policy in the region. He shows vividly the damage done by Israeli and Arab leaders alike in persistently bringing too little, too late, to the peace process.” ―Charles A. Radin, The Boston Globe

“Tyler is forthright in a way American journalists usually are not. . . . [A World of Trouble] completes a formidable charge sheet against the occupants of the White House over the last half century which is, in its page-by-page human detail, as gripping as it is depressing.” ―Martin Woollacott, The Guardian (UK)

“Rich in irony and incident, Patrick Tyler's history of the White House and the Middle East would make instructive reading for the latest occupant of the Oval Office. . . . A lucid and even-handed introduction to a deeply contentious subject.” ―Dominic Sandbrook, The Sunday Times (UK)

About the Author

Patrick Tyler worked for twelve years at The Washington Post before joining The New York Times in 1990 where he served as chief correspondent. His books include Running Critical, A Great Wall (which won the 2000 Lionel Gelber Prize), and A World of Trouble. He lives in Washington, D.C.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Farrar, Straus and Giroux; First Edition (February 16, 2010)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 656 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0374532001
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0374532000
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.65 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.5 x 1.44 x 8.5 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 32 ratings

About the author

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Patrick Tyler

Patrick Tyler

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Patrick Tyler was born in 1951 in St. Louis, Missouri, but grew up in Texas where he attended Ross Sterling High School in Baytown, and attended the University of Texas at Austin for one year (in Physics) before moving to South Carolina, where he graduated from the University of South Carolina in 1974 with a Bachelor's degree in Journalism. He edited two weekly newspapers in rural South Carolina (1974), before spending a year at The Charlotte (N.C.) News. In 1976, he joined The St. Petersburg Times. In 1978-79, he produced and hosted a PBS Network series, Congressional Outlook, and the next year joined The Washington Post, where he worked for 12 years covering defense, intelligence and national policy issues. From 1986-89 he was Middle East Bureau Chief for The Post. He resigned in 1990 to join The New York Times in Washington as military analyst, then resumed his career as a foreign correspondent based first in Beijing, then Moscow, Baghdad and London, from where he resigned in 2004. His books include a history of the nuclear attack submarine program under Admiral Hyman G. Rickover ("Running Critical," Harper & Row, 1986), a history of American relations with China ("A Great Wall," PublicAffairs, 1999) and a history of American presidents and the Middle East ("A World of Trouble," Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 2009). He lives in Washington, D.C. with his wife, Linda, an author and teacher. His home page is: www.patricktyler.org

Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars
4.6 out of 5
32 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Ed Ball
5.0 out of 5 stars Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer
Reviewed in the United States on January 15, 2009
Verified Purchase
As a 20 year Navy veteran, I've often stated "history repeats itself" and this book tells us why. Power, corruption, naive aspirations, incompetence, risk takers, spiritual quests, political ransom, blood letting, heroics, leadership, major accomplishments, scheming, and simple minded childish behavior it's all here. We call them Mr. President.
Highly recommended, make sure you have plenty of time off, you won't put this one down! This will probably change your opinion of our role in the Middle East, it has mine. You be the judge.
25 people found this helpful
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Michael Griswold
4.0 out of 5 stars Middle East Equals Trouble
Reviewed in the United States on June 13, 2011
Verified Purchase
Patrick Tyler in A World of Trouble has created a highly engaging though more than depression ladden analysis of U.S. policy within the Middle East from Eisenhower through the end of the George W. Bush administration. No administration comes across as sterling silver and most of them have either made things worse or kept around a status quo that just brought more problems than solutions. Where I would usually asail a book for leaning to the left or right in matters of Middle Eastern policy there really is no ideological ground to land on when I say that both parties have stunk up the joint as thousands of citizens throughout the Middle East through programs of autocratic crackdowns from U.S. and Soviet supported leaders to programs of military intervention or non military intervention as the case may be during the post Cold War era.
2 people found this helpful
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A Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Important read for bkgrd against which to view current events
Reviewed in the United States on February 15, 2017
Verified Purchase
Giving an excellent view of past problematic events and how they were handled - this is an Important resource for knowledge against which to judge how events, as they are unfolding and will continue to, are handled. The past is prologue but - it is also a critical measuring guide.
One person found this helpful
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marilee
5.0 out of 5 stars I look forward to reading this book every day,
Reviewed in the United States on December 5, 2014
Verified Purchase
What fascinating facts regarding all that goes on in our country and the international events and the people.
One person found this helpful
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Teresa Balke
5.0 out of 5 stars great service
Reviewed in the United States on May 9, 2010
Verified Purchase
The book arrived in terriffic condition, and arrived sooner than expected. The seller is true to their word regarding quality and follow through. I will use them again in the future....very happy/
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Aimee
4.0 out of 5 stars Insightful, opinionated
Reviewed in the United States on January 13, 2018
Verified Purchase
Interesting history of Middle East politics from post-WWI through the George W Bush administration. The narrative gets behind the scenes into the deliberations and sparring of the leaders of Israel, Saudi Arabia, the US, and other stakeholders. It is mostly a critique of blunders among the political leadership of the US, Palestine, and Israel and tragic missed opportunities for peace.
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Kishore
5.0 out of 5 stars Absolutely Brilliant
Reviewed in the United States on October 18, 2011
I have always found the Arab-Israeli conflict confusing; I never fully understood the genesis of the conflict and why these two Abrahamic people were always at each other's throats; and of course I never really understood what the hell the USA was doing there over the years, poking and prodding and in general bumbling around. This brilliant book explain the whole gamut of issues starting with the British Mandate at the end if WW I all the way through to the reign of Emperor George Bush II.

The author is almost always rather harsh on the US approach which I found somewhat refreshing. And his passages on how successive Israeli PMs (Ben Gurion, Menachem Begin) have consistently thumbed their nose at American presidents was very consistent with what Benjamin Nethanyahu did to Barak Obama recently. Mr. Taylor sure knows what he is talking about. And his insights about Jimmy Carters breakdown and Regan's onset of Alzheimer's lends poignancy and makes these super powerful people very very human.

Though repetitive at times (and in the Middle East, history itself keeps repeating itself again and again), this book is eminently readable. If you want to read one single book to get a full grasp of Middle East politics, this is the book you need.
6 people found this helpful
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suesea
5.0 out of 5 stars Loved it.
Reviewed in the United States on July 11, 2015
I didn't buy this book on Amazon (yet), but I read it for an International Relations course. It's completely fascinating and a page turner. Loved it.
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