Rashid Khalidi is an acclaimed author whose works delve into the history and politics of the Middle East. His writing provides deep insights into the region's complex dynamics, frequently appearing in major newspapers and academic journals. Khalidi's analyses offer a unique perspective on the shaping of regional identity and geopolitical forces. His texts are an invaluable resource for understanding modern Middle Eastern history.
A history of the Israeli/Palestinian conflict told from the Palestinian perspective, arguing the period since the Balfour Declaration of 1917 has amounted to a hundred years of colonial war against the Palestinians
In The Iron Cage, Rashid Khalidi, one of the most respected historians and
political observers of the Middle East, examines the Palestinian's struggle
for statehood, presenting a succinct and insightful history of the people and
their leadership throughout the twentieth century.
In The Iron Cage, renowned historian Rashid Khalidi (Resurrecting Empire), a leading expert on the Middle East and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, brings vital perspective to Palestinian attempts to achieve independence and statehood. Bringing together the latest scholarship, Khalidi concentrates on the period of the British Mandate (1920-1948), describing the processes by which a newly arrived European Jewish minority overcame, with help from its imperial ally, the claims and rights of the native Arab majority. In bringing this narrative up to the present, Khalidi rigorously details the missteps of the Palestinians and their leadership.
Begun as the United States moved its armed forces into Iraq, Rashid Khalidi's powerful and thoughtful new book examines the record of Western involvement in the region and analyzes the likely outcome of our most recent Middle East incursions. Drawing on his encyclopedic knowledge of the political and cultural history of the entire region as well as interviews and documents, Khalidi paints a chilling scenario of our present situation and yet offers a tangible alternative that can help us find the path to peace rather than Empire. We all know that those who refuse to learn from history are doomed to repeat it. Sadly, as Khalidi reveals with clarity and surety, America's leaders seem blindly committed to an ahistorical path of conflict, occupation, and colonial rule. Our current policies ignore rather than incorporate the lessons of experience. American troops in Iraq have seen first hand the consequences of U.S. led "democratization" in the region. The Israeli/Palestinian conflict seems intractable, and U.S. efforts in recent years have only inflamed the situation. The footprints America follows have led us into the same quagmire that swallowed our European forerunners. Peace and prosperity for the region are nowhere in sight. This cogent and highly accessible book provides the historical and cultural perspective so vital to understanding our present situation and to finding and pursuing a more effective and just foreign policy.
Khalidi critically assesses the narratives that make up Palestinian history and identity and examines the ways in which the Palestinian national consciousness has come full circle.