Buying Options
Kindle Price: | $18.99 |
includes tax, if applicable | |
Sold by: |
Simon & Schuster Digital Sales Inc. (AU)
This price was set by the publisher. |


![Shadow Wars: The Secret Struggle for the Middle East by [Christopher M. Davidson]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51ZrduaaxeL._SY346_.jpg)
Follow the Author
Something went wrong. Please try your request again later.
OK
Shadow Wars: The Secret Struggle for the Middle East Kindle Edition
by
Christopher M. Davidson
(Author)
Format: Kindle Edition
Christopher M. Davidson
(Author)
Find all the books, read about the author, and more.
See search results for this author
|
Releases March 2, 2021. Pre-order Beyond Order: 12 More Rules for Life now with Pre-order Price Guarantee.
If the Amazon.com.au price decreases between your order time and the end of the day of the release date, you'll receive the lowest price. Order now
Customers who bought this item also bought
Page 1 of 1 Start overPage 1 of 1
Product description
About the Author
Christopher Davidson is a Reader in Middle East Politics at Durham University. He is credited with predicting the 2009 Dubai crash and his last book, After the Sheikhs, was one of the Foreign Policy Association's 'most significant books' of 2013.
--This text refers to the hardcover edition.
Book Description
Who is to blame for the failure of the Arab Spring and the rise of Islamic State? The answer lies far closer to home than you might dare imagine...
--This text refers to the hardcover edition.
Review
‘This is the best and most informative book yet on the struggle for power among the US and Europe, Arab autocratic regimes, and these countries’ impoverished masses.’ ― R. W. Olson, University of Kentucky, CHOICE Magazine
‘This is an outstanding book, bracing in its understanding of the rapacious forces that set upon the Middle East and meticulous in weaving the historical threads that explain why.’ -- John Pilger
‘An avalanche of spies, lies, covert actions and overt aggression – Davidson shows how many of the West’s troubles in the Middle East have emerged from its relentless search for resources.’ -- Leif Wenar, Professor and Chair in Philosophy and Law, King’s College London
‘A timely and wide-ranging analysis…Davidson’s use of hundreds of confidential and declassified documents offers us new insights into Western intervention in the Middle East and the extent to which key Western powers will disregard the political and economic goals of ordinary Middle Easterners in their pursuit of the region’s resources… This book should be an essential point of reference for anyone trying to understand what went wrong with the Arab Spring, and for those aspiring to find ways to build a brighter future for the region.’ ― Dr Imad El-Anis, Global Policy Journal
‘A thought provoking and original take on the present catastrophic realities in the Middle East. This is a timely research into the causes of the failure of the Arab Spring. It deems the defeat of the ‘Spring’ as a counter revolution prompted by external interventions. The book is a tour de force that begins with the past European Revolutions and ends up with an intriguing and highly convincing analysis of the demise of the Arab Spring. No one is spared in this incisive analysis: Arab regimes, fundamentalist movements, the West and Israel are all castigated here for their responsibility for the suffering of the people of Middle East today.’ -- Ilan Pappe, Professor of History, University of Exeter
‘Plunges into America’s move to center stage and how it has sustained its ravenous postwar economy by preserving access to crude oil imports at any cost...Davidson is especially dogged at “following the money”―e.g., the rise of crony-capitalist networks in the Gulf monarchies and the financing of al-Qaeda and of the new Islamic State group…An exhaustively researched account.’ ― Kirkus
‘For its unsparing probity, Davidson’s book ought to be required reading…Who are these people? Where did they come from? What do they want? Shadow Wars makes the answers painfully, damningly clear.’ ― Christian Science Monitor
‘Mr Davidson is one of the most knowledgeable academics writing about the region.’ ― The Economist --This text refers to the hardcover edition.
‘This is an outstanding book, bracing in its understanding of the rapacious forces that set upon the Middle East and meticulous in weaving the historical threads that explain why.’ -- John Pilger
‘An avalanche of spies, lies, covert actions and overt aggression – Davidson shows how many of the West’s troubles in the Middle East have emerged from its relentless search for resources.’ -- Leif Wenar, Professor and Chair in Philosophy and Law, King’s College London
‘A timely and wide-ranging analysis…Davidson’s use of hundreds of confidential and declassified documents offers us new insights into Western intervention in the Middle East and the extent to which key Western powers will disregard the political and economic goals of ordinary Middle Easterners in their pursuit of the region’s resources… This book should be an essential point of reference for anyone trying to understand what went wrong with the Arab Spring, and for those aspiring to find ways to build a brighter future for the region.’ ― Dr Imad El-Anis, Global Policy Journal
‘A thought provoking and original take on the present catastrophic realities in the Middle East. This is a timely research into the causes of the failure of the Arab Spring. It deems the defeat of the ‘Spring’ as a counter revolution prompted by external interventions. The book is a tour de force that begins with the past European Revolutions and ends up with an intriguing and highly convincing analysis of the demise of the Arab Spring. No one is spared in this incisive analysis: Arab regimes, fundamentalist movements, the West and Israel are all castigated here for their responsibility for the suffering of the people of Middle East today.’ -- Ilan Pappe, Professor of History, University of Exeter
‘Plunges into America’s move to center stage and how it has sustained its ravenous postwar economy by preserving access to crude oil imports at any cost...Davidson is especially dogged at “following the money”―e.g., the rise of crony-capitalist networks in the Gulf monarchies and the financing of al-Qaeda and of the new Islamic State group…An exhaustively researched account.’ ― Kirkus
‘For its unsparing probity, Davidson’s book ought to be required reading…Who are these people? Where did they come from? What do they want? Shadow Wars makes the answers painfully, damningly clear.’ ― Christian Science Monitor
‘Mr Davidson is one of the most knowledgeable academics writing about the region.’ ― The Economist --This text refers to the hardcover edition.
Product details
- ASIN : B01C9O37Q8
- Publisher : Oneworld Publications (6 October 2016)
- Language : English
- File size : 3299 KB
- Text-to-Speech : Enabled
- Screen Reader : Supported
- Enhanced typesetting : Enabled
- X-Ray : Not Enabled
- Word Wise : Enabled
- Print length : 688 pages
-
Best Sellers Rank:
589,692 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- 319 in Religious Studies - Church & State
- 336 in Political Freedom (Kindle Store)
- 340 in African Politics
- Customer Reviews:
Customer reviews
4.7 out of 5 stars
4.7 out of 5
47 global ratings
How are ratings calculated?
To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. It also analyses reviews to verify trustworthiness.
Top reviews
Top review from Australia
There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.
Reviewed in Australia on 8 June 2018
Report abuse
Verified Purchase
Erudite and readable, this work confirms me as a cynic and renders nonsensical the thought that there are any “good guys“ in international politics. The only criticism I would make is that it didn't sufficiently spotlight Israel
Helpful
Top reviews from other countries

huw
5.0 out of 5 stars
Definitive scholarship
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 17 August 2017Verified Purchase
This is a book written by an expert academic. It paints a long history of goings on in the middle east and to a lesser extent North Africa. The gist of the story is that first the British, and after 1945 also the US, have supported and used Islamic fundamentalism as a counter to what they saw as undesirable trends in the region: Arab nationalism, pan-Arabism, socialism or Soviet influence. Before reading this book I though that this process had started in Afghanistan with the west supporting the Mujahedin against the Soviets in the 1980s. But no, it went back far longer than that. The book ends with the spread of ISIS in Syrian and Iraq into Libya and West Africa up to early 2016. Funded by the Saudis and Gulf states and tolerated by the US because it served their interests - as a counterbalance to the Iranians and their allies in the case of Syria-Iraq and as a means of regime change in Nigeria. What is really interesting is the gap between the news and what was really happening. This is where the scholarship comes in. The press were full of stories about ISIS funding itself through oil, captured banks vaults and ransoms. This was all a fog to distract attention form the funding coming from the Saudis and Gulf states. Anyway, this book traces the long history, through Wahhabi Bandits, the Moslem Brotherhood, Al Qaeda to ISIS. All lovingly nurtured by the British and Americans to oppose their enemies. The book ends before the entry of Russia into the Syrian conflict and the (reluctant) switch in US policy to opposing ISIS and leaving Assad in power. However, it is a great read if you want to find out what was really going on behind the scenes.
5 people found this helpful
Report abuse

Burns
5.0 out of 5 stars
A very disturbing, but enthralling read. One that ...
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 12 October 2016Verified Purchase
A very disturbing, but enthralling read. One that kept me going, so that I read the entire, mammoth 700 page text in less than 72 hours. Deeply researched, yet accessible. Almost all of it twisted around what I had previously (wrongly) assumed to be the truth.
It exposes what actually happened on 9/11, who paid for al-Qaida, who paid for ISIS, why the US has done nothing about ISIS, where the weapons have all come from, and why it was decided that, Saddam, the Taliban, Gaddafi and now Assad, and all the others, simply had to be removed.
It exposes what actually happened on 9/11, who paid for al-Qaida, who paid for ISIS, why the US has done nothing about ISIS, where the weapons have all come from, and why it was decided that, Saddam, the Taliban, Gaddafi and now Assad, and all the others, simply had to be removed.
10 people found this helpful
Report abuse

Robert J. Pisarek
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Monumental Piece of Work
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 3 September 2020Verified Purchase
Where to begin? As an Intl' Relations postgrad with Intl' Law and Defense/INT knowledge, this book to me has laid out the A-Z of the Middle Eastern crisis from early times to modern times. This is a SERIOUS book, from pp1 you are catapulted into facts and stats - no winded sentences or segues, just pure facts.
This is almost like a manual - it will teach you all about the HUMINT/SECSTATE/FCO ops in ME in 1940s, 50s, 60s, 70-90s and then the 2001, 2003 and 00s Arab Spring and other Liberal Hegemonic plan-of-attacks. This books is BIG - mine arrived and it was about 2-3x the size of a standard book - the size reminds me of Dr Kissinger's Diplomacy (1994).
This book is inspiring on all levels and it is also a strong reminder just how intelligent some people are - namely C.Davidson - this is a work of history, intelligence, diplomatic history and geopolitics+geostrategy in one.
I would recommend this to anyone who has passed the James Barr/Other superb Arabists and are now looking for something focused on HUMINT/SIGINT, coup-d'etats and regime change in Realist/Hegemonic guise(s) = any Mearsheimer scholars or people who have read 5+ Advanced FP/FPA books - this is the one.
This is my go to for any Arab Revolts and CIA missions (incl. SIS/MI6). It fuses the DEPTSTATE with CIA and other Intel Agencies (G2x).
The best purchase I have made.
This is almost like a manual - it will teach you all about the HUMINT/SECSTATE/FCO ops in ME in 1940s, 50s, 60s, 70-90s and then the 2001, 2003 and 00s Arab Spring and other Liberal Hegemonic plan-of-attacks. This books is BIG - mine arrived and it was about 2-3x the size of a standard book - the size reminds me of Dr Kissinger's Diplomacy (1994).
This book is inspiring on all levels and it is also a strong reminder just how intelligent some people are - namely C.Davidson - this is a work of history, intelligence, diplomatic history and geopolitics+geostrategy in one.
I would recommend this to anyone who has passed the James Barr/Other superb Arabists and are now looking for something focused on HUMINT/SIGINT, coup-d'etats and regime change in Realist/Hegemonic guise(s) = any Mearsheimer scholars or people who have read 5+ Advanced FP/FPA books - this is the one.
This is my go to for any Arab Revolts and CIA missions (incl. SIS/MI6). It fuses the DEPTSTATE with CIA and other Intel Agencies (G2x).
The best purchase I have made.
One person found this helpful
Report abuse

Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars
Most interesting and insightful book I have read this year
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 19 November 2018Verified Purchase
Davidson explores how Western governments, namely the US and UK, have co-opted the most regressive Islamist groups over the past century to secure short term interests that later backfire... A mesmerizing read.
One person found this helpful
Report abuse

Mustafa
5.0 out of 5 stars
Very good book for those who follow current Middle East politics
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 26 November 2017Verified Purchase
Very good book for those who follow current Middle East politics. Up to date and current to Middle East events. Gives some answers to reasons what is happening in the Middle East a must read to those who are interested in the Middle East politics.
2 people found this helpful
Report abuse