The Great War for Civilisation: The Conquest of the Middle East - Robert Fisk

~~ Introduction ~~ Robert Fisk has spent thirty years of his life reporting and dodging bullets in the Middle East. He has covered many of the major events in the region such as the Algerian Civil War, the Iranian Revolution, the American hostage crisis in Beirut (he was one of only two Western journalists in the city at the time), the Iran-Iraq War, the Russian invasion of Afghanistan, Israel's invasions of Lebanon, the Gulf War 1991 and the 2003 invasion and subsequent Anglo-American occupation of Iraq. By "Conquest of the Middle East", Fisk is not only referring to Imperialist occupations before 1945, but also the exploitation of the regions resources ...  Read the complete review

The Great War for Civilisation: The Conquest of the Middle East is, undoubtedly, one of the most intimate and moving portrayals of a region which has, over the past decade, become an unrivalled focus of global attention. Unsurprisingly, Fisk is in a unique position to offer such an account. Writing as a journalist who has made a career from reporting in the Middle East, from the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979 right up to the current war in Iraq, and as a resident of Beirut, he turns what might have been a dry and detached analysis into a gripping and insightful journey that switches effortlessly and eloquently between historical account and autobiography. ...  Read the complete review