The wave of change in the Arab world caught everyone unawares. Mass movements demanding democracy in the Middle East and North Africa? Where did they come from? The activists expressed their own astonishment at what they were doing. It is hardly surprising that, outside the region, experts and averagely interested people alike have been hunting for answers.
From the author of the bestselling State of the World Atlas, here is an essential tool for understanding the Middle East and its pivotal role in global politics.
The region is overlaid by a web of fault lines, which Dan Smith uncovers with his customarily acute analysis. Using maps and graphics, he demonstrates why what happens in the Middle East happens, and why it is has an impact on us all.
The atlas covers a wide range of topics, including: • imperial legacies • ethnic and religious differences • US presence and policies • Arab-Israeli wars • Israel and Palestine • Iran and Iraq • military spending • the Kurds • Libya and the USA • oil and water