A History of the Modern Middle East examines the profound and often dramatic transformations of the region in the past two centuries, from the Ottoman and Egyptian reforms, through the challenge of Western imperialism, to the impact of US foreign policies.

List of Illustrations Preface to the Sixth Edition Acknowledgments A Note About Place Names and Transliteration PART ONE: The Development of Islamic Civilization to the Eighteenth Century 1. The Rise and Expansion of Islam Pre-Islamic Arabia Muhammad and the Foundations of Islam The Arab Conquests and the First Empire The First Civil War and the End of the Rashidun Caliphate From Arab Exclusivism to Islamic Universalism: The Umayyad and Abbasid Empires Conclusion 2. The Development of Islamic Civilization to the Fifteenth Century Patterns of Islamic History The Creation and Uses of Wealth Islamic Rituals and Institutions Two Versions of Leadership: Sunni Caliph and Shi'a Imam The Middle East from the Eleventh to the Fifteenth Centuries: An Overview Conclusion 3. The Ottoman and Safavid Empires: A New Imperial Synthesis The Rise of the Ottoman Empire Ottoman Ruling Institutions and Attitudes The Loss of Ottoman Superiority The Triumph of Shi'ism: The Safavid Empire of Iran, 1501--1736 Conclusion: The Sunni-Shi'a Struggle for Iraq PART TWO: The Beginnings of the Era of Transformation 4. Forging a New Synthesis: The Pattern of Reforms, 1789--1849 Selim III (1789--1806: Between Old and New A Revived Center of Power: The Egypt of Muhammad Ali, 1805--1848 Nationalism and Great Power Intervention: The Greek Revolt, 1821--1829 Sultan Mahmud II (1808--1839): Centralization and Transformation Conclusion 5. The Ottoman Empire and Egypt During the Era of the Tanzimat The Tanzimat: Continued Ottoman Reform Under the Bureaucrats The Arab Provinces of Greater Syria During the Tanzimat Egypt During the Era of Civilian Reform Conclusion: The Dualism of the Nineteenth-Century Reforms 6. Egypt and Iran in the Late Nineteenth Century England on the Nile: The British Occupation of Egypt, 1882--1914 Iran During the Second Half of the Nineteenth Century Conclusion 7. The Response of Islamic Society Religious Assertiveness and Authoritarian Reform: The Era of Abdul Hamid II Islamic Puritanism on the Tribal Frontiers: The Wahhabi, Sanusi, and Mahdiyyah Movements The Reform of High Islam Emerging Currents of Arab Cultural Distinctiveness Conclusion 8. The Era of the Young Turks and the Iranian Constitutionalists The Revolt of 1908 and the Young Turks in Power The Period of the Iranian Constitutional Revolution Conclusion 9. World War I and the End of the Ottoman Order The Middle East in World War I: An Overview of Military and Diplomatic Initiatives The Peace Settlement Conclusion: The End of the Ottoman Order in the Middle East PART THREE: The Struggle for Independence: The Interwar Era to the End of World War II 10. Authoritarian Reform in Turkey and Iran The Ataturk Era in Turkey Iran under Reza Shah Turkey and Iran During World War II: Sovereignty and Occupation Conclusion 11. The Arab Struggle for Independence: Egypt, Iraq, and Transjordan from the Interwar Era to 1945 The Struggle for Power in Egypt in the Interwar Period An Overview of World War II Egypt During World War II: Pivot of the British Defense System Iraq Between the Wars Iraq During World War II Transjordan: The Desert Mandate Conclusion 12. The Arab Struggle for Independence: Syria, Lebanon, and Saudi Arabia from the Interwar Era to 1945 The French Mandate in Syria and Lebanon Lebanon under the Mandate: The Establishment of Confessional Politics Syria and Lebanon During World War II: The Troubled Path to Independence New Kingdom in Arabia: The Rise of the Saudi State The Search for Identity: Regionalism, Arabism, Islam Conclusion 13. The Palestine Mandate and the Birth of the State of Israel The Emergence of Political Zionism The Balfour Declaration The Mandate for Palestine: British Administration The Palestinian Arab Community: Leadership and Institutions The Jewish Community: Leadership and Institutions Immigration and Lands Communal Conflict and the British Response World War II and the Birth of the State of Israel The First Arab-Israeli War Conclusion PART FOUR: The Independent Middle East from the End of World War II to the 1970s 14. Democracy and Authoritarianism: Turkey and Iran The Role of the United States in the Postwar Years Turkey: The Transition to a Multiparty System Turkish Foreign Policy and the Cyprus Question Iran: The Reestablishment of Royal Autocracy Conclusion 15. The Middle East in the Age of Nasser: The Egyptian Base The Paralysis of the Old Regime, 1945--1952 The Free Officers and the Cou D'Etat of 1952 Foreign Relations after 1952 The Adoption of Arab Socialism Conclusion 16. The Middle East in the Age of Nasser: The Radicalization of Arab Politics Syria: The Military in Politics Iraq: The End of the Monarchy The Hasimite Kingdom of Jordan: The Survival of Monarchy Lebanon: The Precarious Sectarian Balance Israel, The Arab States, and the June War Conclusion: The Nasser Era in Perspective 17. Israel and the Palestinians from 1948 to the 1970s The Israeli Political System and Political Culture The Elections of 1977: Israel in Transition The Palestinian Factor after 1948 Conclusion PART FIVE: The Resurgence of Islam: The Middle East from the 1970s to the 1991 Gulf War 18. The Iranian Revolution and the Revival of Islam The Stages of Revolution in Iran The Revival of Islam Conclusion 19. Changing Patterns of War and Peace: Egypt and Lebanon in the 1970s and 1980s Egypt Under Sadat: Domestic and Diplomatic Realignments The Lebanese Civil War, 1975--1990 Egypt in the 1980s Conclusion 20. The Arabian Peninsula in the Petroleum Era The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Kuwait, Oman, and the Smaller Gulf States Conclusion 21. The Consolidation of Authoritarian Rule in Syria and Iraq: The Regimes of Hafiz al-Asad and Saddam Husayn Syria in the Al-Asad Era Iraq in the Era of Saddam Husayn and the Ba'th The Iran-Iraq War, 1980--1988 Conclusion PART SIX: Challenges to the Existing Order: The Middle East in the 1990s and 2000s 22. The Palestinian Intifada and the 1991 Gulf War The Intifada from 1987 to 1991 The Gulf Crisis of 1990--1991 The Aftermath of the Gulf War Conclusion 23. A Peace So Near, a Peace So Far: Palestinian-Israeli Relations Since the 1991 Gulf War The Road to the Oslo Peace Accords The Unraveling of the Oslo Peace Process The Road from Taba Conclusion 24. Patterns of Continuity and Change in Turkey, Iran, and Lebanon Turkey and Iran: Nations at a Crossroads Hizbullah and the Struggle for Lebanon Conclusion 25. America's Troubled Moment in the Middle East The Policy of Dual Containment Al-Qa'Ida and the Attacks of September 11, 2001 The Occupation of Iraq Iran's Nuclear Program Conclusion 26. The 2011 Arab Uprisings and Their Aftermath Understanding the Uprisings' Dynamics Egypt Syria Yemen and Libya Saudi Arabia and the Gulf Monarchies Conclusion: Connecting Threads List of Major Rulers Glossary Select Bibliography Index

Praise for Prior Editions "For almost thirty years, I have depended on Cleveland and Bunton's textbook as the anchor of my course on the history of the modern Middle East. It is, to my mind, the very best and most teachable text available." --Lidwien Kapteijns, Kendall/Hodder Professor of History, Wellesley College "One of the most balanced and comprehensive textbooks that exists on Middle Eastern history." --Sreemati Mitter, Brown University "Cleveland and Bunton provide a comprehensive history of the Middle East that allows students to understand the decisions of the principal political actors and the results of major events and crises. It has been an indispensable textbook for my survey on how and why the peoples of the Middle East deal with issues of democracy, religious and national identity as well as conflicting reactions toward Western intervention in a variety of forms." --Stacy E. Holden, Purdue University "This book provides a comprehensive and compelling history of the modern Middle East and is an invaluable addition to any scholar's library. The authors distill complex and multifaceted aspects of Middle Eastern history and culture for the reader while providing insightful and germane analysis." --Ellen R. Wald, Jacksonville University "Cleveland has put his recognized expertise on Arab nationalism and modern Islamic movements to particularly good use in this learned, sensitive, and highly readable account of the past two centuries of Middle Eastern history. The formidable task of combining thematic with country-by-country treatment is accomplished remarkably well." --Donald M. Reid, Georgia State University "With the accuracy and balance that the scholar would insist on and with the spirited readability that the student would hope for, this is a fine interpretive study of the Middle East during the past two centuries. A richly textured history, it handles the challenge of highlighting the cultural unity characterizing the Middle East while also demonstrating the region's diversity-political, religious, cultural, and economic." --L. Carl Brown, Princeton University "Cleveland has written a cogent and comprehensive political history of the Middle East in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, prefaced by a concise and readable introduction to Islamic history. He is particularly successful in pointing to the persistence and strength of traditional modes of thought and belief in bringing about the reassertion of Islamic identity in the face of the moral bankruptcy of contemporary Middle Eastern regimes and the disempowering pressures of everyday life... this book should do much to demystify common misconceptions about this complex and frequently misunderstood region." --Peter Sluglett, Durham University "A solid, well-written, and well-packed introductory text that will be easily accessible to inductees into modern Middle Eastern history... Careful readers of Cleveland's text will discover that in a quiet and persuasive manner the author challenges many popularly held beliefs and (mis)perceptions." --International Journal of Middle East Studies "Impressive political history... Provides a brief but useful exposition of Islam and what the faithful believe is expected of them." --New York Times Book Review "The book masterfully intertwines complex strands of history -- from sectarian conflict in Lebanon to the Arab-Israeli conflicts, to the impact of oil wealth and the Iranian revolution. No other volume does this so well." --Elizabeth Thompson, History, University of Virginia "Highly recommended for anyone interested in a remarkably well-crafted introduction to the history, politics, and international relations of the Middle East." --International Journal "Lucidly written, well researched and an ideal work of introduction and reference for students of the region." --Middle Eastern Studies "This survey of the history of the modern Middle East has been well received by scholars in the field. Sophisticated and stimulating... Cleveland has contributed a well-balanced, well-researched, and well-planned introductory text for the study of the modern Middle East." --Judith Mendelsohn Rood, Turkish Studies Association Bulletin "The difficulties of writing an introductory text on the modern Middle East have largely been overcome by William Cleveland in this lucid and impartial history. Perhaps the greatest virtue of the book is the author's sympathetic detachment in his treatment of an ideologically charged history. Always measured in his assessments, Cleveland avoids lionizing and vilifying whether discussing the colonial experience, the rise of nationalism, the struggle for Palestine, the influence of Nasser or the Islamic resurgence." --Eugene Rogan, British Journal of Middle Eastern Studies "Cleveland's timely book is now the most comprehensive, up-to-date introduction to the history of the modern Middle East, and it is likely to remain so for a good long while. He does a marvelous job of rendering intelligible the complex political and social changes that the Middle East experienced in the past two centuries. Readers will be grateful to Cleveland for blending much of the best recent historical scholarship into this fine book and for making it eminently readable." --Philip S. Khoury, Massachusetts Institute of Technology "An excellent overview of the history of the modern Middle East. Eminently clear, comprehensive, and insightful. A truly superior book." --James Jankowski, University of Colorado "This volume is history in the best sense. ... A superbly written analysis of the social and political disruptions of the Middle East. This updated volume does an excellent job of weaving together various strands of a complex subject in a coherent narrative. It is recommended reading for all serious students who want to understand how the Middle East got to where it is today." --Phebe Marr, author of The Modern History of Iraq and fellow at the U.S. Institute for Peace "This is the best comprehensive survey of modern Middle East history in the literature. The authors excel at translating complex and controversial subject matter in a highly readable manner without sacrificing cogent and insightful analysis. I highly recommend it." --David W. Lesch, professor of Middle East History, Trinity University "This excellent survey has been used in many colleges and universities as a standard text since its first edition...In this particularly turbulent period of history, this book should be of interest not only to students, but also to every citizen who has to make some judgment, one way or another, about the US role in the Middle East." --Choice