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Douglas Little
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American Orientalism: The United States and the Middle East since 1945 Hardcover – November 11, 2002

by Douglas Little (Author)
4.3 out of 5 stars 23
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With the terrorist attacks of 11 September 2001, America's relationship with the Middle East exploded to the forefront of our national consciousness. Looking back more than a half-century, Douglas Little offers valuable, historical context for anyone seeking a better understanding of this complicated relationship. He explores the encounters between the United States and the Middle East since 1945, focusing particularly on the complex, sometimes inconsistent attitudes and interests that have shaped U.S. relations in the region.

Little begins by exposing the persistence of "orientalist" stereotypes in American popular culture and then examines U.S. policy toward the Middle East from many angles. Chapters focus on America's increasing dependence on petroleum; U.S.-Israeli relations; the threat of communism; the rise of revolutionary nationalist movements in Egypt, Iran, Iraq, and Libya; the futility of U.S. military and covert intervention; and the unsuccessful attempt to broker a "peace-for-land" settlement between the Israelis and the Palestinians. The overarching theme of the book is that a combination of American omnipotence and profound cultural misunderstanding ensured that the United States would encounter trouble in the Middle East after 1945 and that those forces continue to bedevil the relationship between these vastly different cultures to the present day.
Previous page
  1. Print length
    424 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    The University of North Carolina Press
  4. Publication date
    November 11, 2002
  5. Dimensions
    6.5 x 1.25 x 9.5 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    0807827371
  7. ISBN-13
    978-0807827376
  8. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In contrast to many post-September 11 studies, which seek to satisfy the demand for instant analysis, Little's fascinating book is based on extensive and long-range research into the history of U.S.-Mideastern relations. Informative and well balanced, this work of diplomatic and political history raises provocative questions about that history that shed an intriguing light not only on the events of September 11 but on the past 60 years of American encounters with the Middle East. Little's overarching theme is the complex and sometimes inconsistent attitudes and interests that determined U.S. policy in the region. The author contends that American political activity has been hampered by profound cultural misunderstanding, resulting in unforeseen and unintended negative consequences. In eight invigorating chapters, Clark University historian Little (Malevolent Neutrality) focuses on the implications of oil, the persistence of racial and cultural stereotypes (whether anti-Semitic or anti-Islamic) and the importance of Israel in American foreign policy. After reviewing all the major episodes, he poses the important question of whether wealth and power have provided America with the moral authority necessary to control the Middle East. Little's own assessment is not entirely positive. His text is highly accessible, yet offers serious and careful analysis. At a time when the U.S. is possibly on the verge of a major military intervention in Iraq, this stimulating book is highly recommended.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

A superb analysis of the U.S. experience in the Middle East since 1945. -- Peter L. Hahn, Ohio State University

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ The University of North Carolina Press; First Edition (November 11, 2002)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 424 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0807827371
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0807827376
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.62 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.5 x 1.25 x 9.5 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.3 out of 5 stars 23

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Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5 stars
4.3 out of 5
23 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

ArtemisK
5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic Work, Recommend a Different Title
Reviewed in the United States on May 27, 2013
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What a great book for American politics and policy in the Middle East. Little gives a clear explanation (and critique) of Said in the beginning, and ties it together in the end. Only issue is that the Orientalism aspect is not clear throughout - the book becomes more of a political science through history work than a work on Orientalism in American politics. The connection can be seen, but is not obvious and may be missed if you aren't looking for it. Overall, highly recommended.
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in the United States on January 20, 2017
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Fascinating.
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Amazon Customer
4.0 out of 5 stars Four Stars
Reviewed in the United States on October 20, 2015
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Ann extensive book with a lot of information on the development of the american politics in the middle east
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Intro To American-Middle East Relations
Reviewed in the United States on May 17, 2003
Douglas Little's historical survey of political, economic, and cultural relations between southwest asian countries and between these countries and the USA has been extremely beneficial to me. If you are interested in why some Americans are biased toward groups in the Mid East, Little focuses on this. If you want to understand Israel's creation as a state and the later problems between Israel and others in the region, Little provides an unbiased assessment of this. If you are interested in how US foreign policies have influenced the region, this is the book for you (as an introduction). In short, "American Orientalism" is well-written, objective, and extremely informative. If you think you understand the Middle East based only on news watching, or if you would like to know the historical dynamics at work in Middle Eastern countries, I urge you to read this book.
12 people found this helpful
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Charm.city.sinner
3.0 out of 5 stars Admirable attempt, but comes up short
Reviewed in the United States on February 2, 2008
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In American Orientalism, Douglas Little sets out to chronicle America's involvement with the Middle East since 1945. On the whole, Little's work is an informative read, but there are several problems that ultimately keep the book from being successful.

The book is organized thematically, with chapters devoted to oil, the special relationship with Israel, and America's struggle against Arab nationalism, among other subjects. Within each chapter, Little begins around 1945 and works his way up to the Carter administration. Most of the major issues as far as American interests go are covered, and Little handles the topics in a thorough manner. However, there are some problems with the organization of the book. The first chapter deals with American "orientalism." In this chapter, Little discusses the ways in which Arabs have been historically portrayed in America. The chapter feels completely tacked on and does not fit in well with the rest of the book at all. There is an obsession with the magazine National Geographic that borders on the absurd, as if the ways in which the magazine portrayed Arabs somehow affected U.S. policy. It goes without saying that America at times portrays other cultures in a negative way, but this has nothing to do with the bulk of Little's work. A cynic might suggest that Little included this chapter for the sole reason of naming the book after it, which could possibly result in increased book sales among the Edward Said crowd. This is particularly troubling and perhaps hypocritical when Little refers to Yemen as a "backward" land on page 184.

Another issue that arises is the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Little does include a chapter on the subject, but it also does not seem to fit along with the rest of the book. Judgement should not necessarily be passed here since many historians treat the issue separately from U.S. involvement in the region during the period, but Little fails in integrating the topic into the rest of the book in a satisfactory manner. Unless an author is willing to devote the appropriate amount of space to an important topic, it should be left out of the book.

Stylistically, Little's writing is very difficult to navigate. His rampant use of passive voice and colloquial language is quite distracting. On numerous occasions Little refers to the President as "the man in the Oval Office, or the State Department as "Foggy Bottom." This might not bother some, but it comes across as unprofessional and informal. It's hard to imagine the final version of this book making it past an editor's desk because in the end, these flaws detract from the effectiveness of the book in a major way. When passive voice or other indices of poor writing show up almost every other paragraph, the book's 328 pages seem particularly long and burdensome.

Some significant faults aside, Little's book is still worth the read. Even though the scope is decidedly smaller, Salim Yaqub's Containing Arab Nationalism is by far a superior piece of research covering the Eisenhower administration and the struggle against Nasser and should be read along with American Orientalism, perhaps first. Readers will also have to look elsewhere for a more complete take on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the Anglo-American response to it.
10 people found this helpful
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dinamit
3.0 out of 5 stars American Orientalism
Reviewed in the United States on April 2, 2007
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A good survey of the history of American relations with the Middle East. The survey however is one-sided, for the author doesn't bring any sources from the Middle East and confines himself mainly to sources from American politics. Also, the events of 9/11 predispose the analysis and thus turning it into a search after whom/what to blame in 9/11 attacks. On the hand, this predisposition is also beneficial for it allows him an important critical perspective on American activities in the Middle East. If you don't know anything about the history of the Middle East, this is a good start, and good archive for preliminary information.
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Munir
1.0 out of 5 stars Literally a book OF American Orientalism, not about it
Reviewed in the United States on October 21, 2013
American Orientalism: The United States and the Middle East since 1945

This is a horrible book for anyone who wants to learn anything accurate about the Middle East. Little is a truly confused author, unable to connect the dots of American Imperialism and its subconscious embrace of Orientalism that he himself hasn't renounced.

The book starts off with a half-baked overview of Western Orientalist attitudes towards the Middle East. I sincerely doubt that Little has even read Edward Said's Oreintalism because he displays such an incredibly surface analysis of it. Towards the end of chapter one he concludes, "the gruesome string of beheadings and suicide bombings that followed the invasion and occupation of Iraq after 2003 seemed to confirm many of the stereotypes of Muslim bloodlust and depravity". Bloodlust and depravity? Those are the motives a book on Orientalism is giving its readers?

Another choice quote from the end of chapter 6: "Why has America's quest for the Muslim equivalent of Thomas Jefferson been met so often by the likes of Saddam Hussein, Muammar al Qaddafi, and Ayatollah Khomeini?" Yes, why can't Arabs find a slave-owning rapist to bring about their enlightenment? Little often slips into these sorts of Orientalist ramblings without being able to question his own prejudice. Time and time again, Arab and Muslim leaders act "without reason," "surprisingly", and "angrily". Motives are glassed over and entire civilizations are portrayed as "backwards," or "primitive".

In short, this book claims to be about Orientalism, but it is in fact a prime example OF Orientalism, and a testament to how shallow Orientalist readings of history leave readers confused, and with a fragmented history of the Middle East.
5 people found this helpful
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