BLACK WAVE Paperback – 5 January 2021

I must mention a couple other books that I read before 'Black Wave' (BW) which made it more accessible. 1) Rashid Khalidi's '100 years' war on Palestine...' and 2) more relevantly, a comprehensive history of the Middle East by Sydney Nettleton Fisher - my most in-depth understanding of Mid-East history even though it was last revised in 1967 (& covered the rise of islam, islamic kingdoms/caliphates, impact of euro imperialism, growth of republicanism, the religious right, coups, Israel etc). Thanks to this, I entered BW with some understanding of the background/political trajectory of the states covered in it.Kim is not a historian but a reporter (stated upfront) and her writing reflects that. On the whole, BW is a compelling & illuminating read. Kim may not have intended some of my takeaways but here they are anyway - at one level, it reinforced my current understanding of the nexus between certain Arab rulers and the much maligned America/West (strange bedfellows and all that) in causing many of this region's problems - meaning it doesn't seem to have always been a West (alone) meddling in the Mid-East story. Caveat: I'm yet to read a proper Arab/Middle-East perspective (maybe Albert Hourani?) Yet, at another level, I went in expecting Kim's background to also call out the genuine tragedy of western interference exacerbating regional problems but there didn't seem to be too much censure in my opinion. Perhaps, this was not the intention. One thing Kim does want to counter is Western notions of Islam by establishing a divide between the large mass of open minded Mid East muslims and the fundamentalists who mislead them. Yet, this is the part where I'm not fully convinced. Not to paint all muslims as conservatives but from the vantage point of sitting in 2024 and hindsight etc, I feel that large masses of Muslims are indeed supportive of Sharia-based theocratic set up or Islamic democracy perhaps with state religion etc. (I understand that there will be a variety of views under this). The region's secular/liberal forces seem to have been far too inspired by the clinical west I think, ignoring or suppressing the natural religiosity of the common populace? Kim's language at this point seems too much in the old western liberal mould - "the nice guys are just like you folks and the face-veiling, sharia-touting ones are bad fundamentalists who the majority don't like". The gaining of power by religious right actors is presented as moments of deep societal shock and yet, the only people chosen to illustrate are those living and working in a slightly westernised/liberal elite world - TV presenters, actors, singers, writers etc.Finally, as an Indian, I could not help notice the similarities between Hindutva and conservative Islamist thoughts - the religious right everywhere have pet peeves. For eg., the disdain for a liberal/secular worldview that is believed to be a total western import. (Though for some Hindutvadis, their dislike stems from the belief that it has done nothing for them and favoured only muslims/minorities at the expense of hindus/majority.)Final takeaway - the book is definitely a great buy and highly informative, richly detailed. It has, like any good book, left me with many thoughts to grapple with - Islamophobia, rise of right/far-right ideologies all over, current state of secularism/liberalism discourse and its effectiveness in countering all of these pressures. It only pushes me to know more.

Fascinating read that makes you appreciate the intricacies of Middle East politics and the factors that shaped it over the years. The shadow of events of1979 looms large and how it has affected everything since then is explained lucidly. A must-read for anyone wanting to understand middle east politics and dynamics.

I found this book to be very interesting as it throws light on issues plaguing Middle East due to Saudi-Iran rivalry. The author has touched upon every aspect and one could correlate with the bits and pieces one often comes across about Middle East politics. I strongly recommend reading this book.

Good book for Non Arab readers. Authors writing style is very good. Also , the colonizing misadventures of USA & Israel need to be incorporated in the book.

from the moment i accidentally came across this book i was thinking how is it possible to cover such a huge geographical area and its political scenarios in a book!!! i must thank the author..she didn't disappoint ..it is very tightly knitted book kept me thoroughly engaged except at the conclusion..though its not her fault.because only time will tell..

The book takes u on a journey of Understanding of Middle East culture and politics , and how due to few Bad Men , the many Good are suffering !It also clears some belief that NOT only NATO , that is responsible for the mess , BUT also the local forces are equally to be blamed ..And in the end , it’s the common man that gets caught into it and suffers .....

An incredible job of of painstaking and eye opening research which has culminated into this revelatory tome to the corruption, misrepresentation, misinterpretation of religion causing untold hardship to millions of people. GOD IS LOVE NOT HATE.

Unputdownable, gripping read. Must for those interested in understanding the forces that have shaped the Mid East of today