Storm from the East: The Struggle Between the Arab World and the Christian West

By Milton Viorst

Book Overview

America's engagement with the Arab world stretches back far beyond the Iraq wars. According to Milton Viorst, the current conflict is simply the latest round in a 1,400-year struggle between Christianity and Islam, in which the United States became a participant only in the last century.

Today, the Bush Doctrine aims to free the Arab peoples from political oppression and create a democratic Iraq. So why are Arabs, and Iraqis in particular, so suspicious of our efforts? The explanation, Viorst says, is simple: "What the American leadership has miscalculated, or simply dismissed, is Arab nationalism." In Storm from the East, Viorst offers a balanced, lucid, and vital history of America's uneasy relationship with the Arab world and argues that brutal conflict in the region will continue until the West, with the United States taking the lead, honors the Arabs' insistence on deciding their own destiny.

Viorst examines the long struggle of the Arab world to overthrow Western hegemony. He explores the Arab experiences with democracy and military despotism; Nasserite socialism in Egypt and Ba'athism in Syria and Iraq; tribal monarchy in Saudi Arabia and Jordan; guerrilla warfare waged by the Palestinians; and, finally, Islamic rebellion culminating in Osama bin Laden's extremist al-Qaeda. All have the same goal: the liberation of the Arabs from foreign domination.

Storm from the East is a powerful work that, like no other, limns the political, religious, and social roots of Arab nationalism and the present-day unrest in the Middle East.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0812974190
• ISBN13: 9780812974195
• Release Date: April 2007
• Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
• Length: 224 Pages
• Weight: 0.40 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 5.3" x 8.0"

Customer Reviews

Must Read

Outstanding compact storry about the East. Wish Bush and team would read this before sending more troops to the East.

Storm from the East by Milton Viorest

Although this is a small book it is loaded with information about the Middle East beginning with the Prophet - It is somewhat didactic but has a wealth of information. I thought it was very helpful in presenting a well organized over view of not only the Muslisms but also some of the other players.

Essential Reading

This compact well-written 177 page book is essential reading for those interested in the the Middle East and in particular Iraq. It outlines the history of Arab nationalism, fudamentalist Islam and the critical 19th and 20th century historical/political events that produced the Middle East as we find it today. If you are looking for one book to provide you with essential background, this is it. This work was first brought to my attention by individuals with life-long professional political involvement in the Middle East. Frank A. Orban III Executive V.P. The Institute of World Politics Washington, DC

Understanding the Arab Psyche

This is the best and most succinct narrative I have ever read on the conflict between the West and the Arab countries. While not downplaying the religious differences it clearly shows the hostilities resulting from the political and military actions of the European(and later the American) interests over the ages and particularly since the overthrow of the Ottoman Empire. Interlaced with these fascinating narratives are clear descriptions of the Sunni and Shia believers and how they got that way. I agree with Viorst's beginning statement that its too bad President Bush didnt take advantage of scholars' knowledge of these differences as well as the long standing political hostility between the Arab world and the West. Be it resolved that every member of the White House staff and every menber of Congress read this book!