Product Description
Launched in 1993 after an agreement at Oslo, the Middle East 'peace process' was solemnised in the famous handshake between Yitzak Rabin and Yasser Arafat on the White House lawn. In return for renouncing violence and terrorism, and accepting Israel, the Palestinians were to be given a state. In return for giving up land, the Israelis would get peace. But after seven fitful years, the process collapsed in bloodshed in the autumn of 2000. Today, Israelis and Palestinians are more bitterly divided than ever before. This book tells what went wrong and why. Comprised of essays from the pages of Commentary by David Bar-Illan, Douglas Feith, Daniel Pipes, Norman Podhoretz, and other leading observers, this book is a fever chart as well as an autopsy. Writing at ground level as the peace process careened from one crisis to the next, the authors show us step by step how the Israelis were forced increasingly on the defensive and how the Palestinians became convinced that they stood on the brink not of peace but of victory. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

Why did the Middle East Peace Process Fail?
The sponsors of the Oslo agreement of 1993 seemed to imply that Arafat represented people who wanted a fair division of land between Jews and Arabs and equal rights for both Jews and Arabs in the region.And that Arafat and his negotiators would be in favor of peace, justice, truth, and good behavior by both sides, in keeping with what was expected by society at large.

That is not what Commentary thought.Its articles tended to imply that Arafat and his gang were thugs who wanted to incite and sacrifice Arabs to benefit only themselves at best.To Commentary, the goals of Arafat's side were to destroy Israel, reduce or obliterate human rights for Jews, and rewrite and fabricate Arab and Jewish history.And Arafat's main demand seemed to be for the enshrinement of his right to perform all these misdeeds with worldwide blessing, approval, and applause.

Roughly speaking, Commentary's articles indicated that the dubiously named Peace Process would fail because neither side's goals would be met.In addition, they showed that any concession demanded of Israel by the Arabs, if granted, was almost invariably designed to reduce the prospects for peace.Meanwhile, it appeared that the international community was prepared to allow the Arab side to break its promises, and apply serious pressure only on Israel.In addition, Arab incitement against Israel was unlikely to lessen, and international propagation of Arab propaganda was expected to increase.

Sure enough, Oslo failed.And we can and should read the articles from Commentary that compose this book.I think the best of them is the one by Fiamma Nirenstein.However, let's face it: Commentary was basically claiming the Earth was round when it was politically correct to say that it was flat.That took some courage, maybe plenty of courage, but not much brilliance.At least, let's give Commentary credit for taking a moral and honest stand on this issue.

Exposes the deceit and the real agenda behind the talking...
The dictionary defines autopsy as �an examination and dissection of a dead body to determine the cause of death'.

Quite appropriate therefore that this book is titled an autopsy of the Mid-East Peace Process. Few in the Mid-East or the international arena now give credence to the evaluation that the �peace process' is still functional.

This book is of considerable value in that it examines how the so-called �peace process' actually died. This is not a �play on words' but an actual investigation into what went wrong and why.

The basic premise for peace negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian/Arab world was allegedly �land for peace'. This book scrutinizes how this principle was actually just a facade. The most far reaching concessions ever offered by any Israeli leader only resulting in the Palestinian �intifadas' that are analysed here and which �grace' our television screens almost on a daily basis.

The book scrutinises the previously unheard of offers by former Israeli PM Ehud Barak in relation to ceding some 98% of the �West Bank' and Gaza towards a Palestinian state, a deal on �settlements' and �refugees' plus an agreement to �share' Jerusalem. Investigated too are the failure of Yasser Arafat & the Palestinian Authority to accept this as even a basis for negotiation, their violation of previous agreements and the reneging of their promise to resolve all disagreements through negotiations.

The authors themselves show that even despite agreed Israeli withdrawals peace was not forthcoming, the PLO not even amending it's Covenant calling for the destruction of the Jewish state.

The book outlines a statement through Jordanian Television by Yasser Arafat on the very same day as he appeared in 1993 on the White House lawn with Yitzhak Rabin, Shimon Peres, Bill Clinton and co., shaking hands and making his promises of peace.

The book (on page 22) declares that Arafat, in his public statement in Arabic on Jordan Television, stated that he had no intent to halt terrorism, or any peaceful co-existence with Israel. Instead he described the agreement, in fact the whole �peace-process', was in the context of the �1974 plan', known by the whole Arab world as the �plan of phases' for the destruction of Israel.

Perhaps this should have opened everyone's eyes to the real intent and agenda behind the scenes, but clearly not so.

This book provides a number of essays by very learned people including Efraim Karsh, David Bar-Ilan, Dore Gold, Daniel Pipes and others, that investigate how Arafat duped the whole world into believing that he was pursuant of a peaceful co-existence with the Jewish people and the State of Israel.

This book also explores the regional & international consequences of the failure of the Mid-East �peace-process' in light of September 11th. This becomes even more relevant in few of recent developments appertaining to Iraq. Also explored and discussed are the future, potential conventional and nuclear conflicts between Israel and the Arab world, also weighed against the possible existence of a Palestinian �state' in Israel's very heartland.

A very illuminating, thought-provoking read and a handy reference book for the days ahead which we must all watch with interest.

A grim analysis of the clashes and bloodshed
Compiled and edited by Neal Kozodoy and enhanced with an "afterword" by Mark Helprin, The Mideast Peace Process: An Autopsy is a grim analysis of the clashes and bloodshed between Israelis and the Palestinians. The contributions include Israel's New Polyannas (David bar-Illan); The Story Behind the Handshake (Yigal Carmon); Land for No Peace (Douglas J. Feith); Where is the Peace Process Going? (Dore Gold); In Arafat's Kingdom (Nadav Haetzni); When the Palestinian Army Invades (Yuval Steinitz); Israel's moment of Truth (Daniel Pipes); Intifada II: Death of an Illusion? (Norman Podhoretz); The Journalists and the Palestinians (Fiamma Nirenstein); On the "Right of Return" (Efraim Karsh). As immediately relevant as today's newspaper headlines, The Mideast Peace Process: An Autopsy is a highly recommended, contribution to Mideast Studies and Palestinian Studies reference collections and reading lists.

Good book, but one major flaw
I like this book, and I'm in favor of Israel in this conflict. However, the problem with this book is simple: it doesn't even attempt to present two sides to the story. It is so full of sniveling and whining against the Palestinians that it grates on your nerves after 30 pages. It doesn't present one single argument in the Palestinians' favor. It's just whining, whining, whining from Israelis, who fail to see that their actions may have some role in the current mess we're in.

Why The Peace Process Failed
This book is a series of essays previously printed in Commentary Magazine from 1993 through 2000.They are printed in chronological order and demonstrate how and why the Oslo Process collapsed in failure.Commentary was long a Cassandra screaming into the wind.These essays which seemed provacative at the time they were written now seem remarkably prescient.The book will be of interest to any fair minded person interested in the state of Israel and its well being. ... Read more

Product Description

Term paper due tomorrow? Need to cram for a test? Or just looking for the best information about a favorite literary work?

Turn to "Short Stories for Students" to get your research done in record time. Brought to you by Thomson Gale--the world's leading source of literary criticism and analysis--this e-doc contains: author biography; plot summary; character analysis; an overview of the story's themes, style, and historical context; a compendium of in-depth critical material; study questions; suggestions for further reading; and much more.

Why choose "Short Stories for Students"? Because no other source offers so much in such a compact package. Trust the experts: Thomson Gale--and "Short Stories for Students." ... Read more

Product Description
This elegant edition of 10 classic tales of The Arabian Nights features a powerful introduction by Mark Helprin, offering new insight into the "thousand mercurial forms" and "inexact nature" of these Eastern tales. Helprin probes for fresh understanding of our culture's deep engagement with these fantastical imaginings which, after being passed along orally for thousands of years, evolved into what we have come to know as The Arabian Nights. Accompanied by 12 full-color Maxfield Parrish illustrations from the 1909 edition, the wondrous narrative that began in what is now the Middle East and spread outward to encompass the globe is here reborn in an edition expertly translated by Kate Douglas Wiggin and Nora A. Smith. The stories here include Aladdin which tells of an aimless street urchin who is seduced by the wiles of a magician and finds himself trapped in a cave filled with sumptuous jewels, Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves in which a poor man discovers the secret lair of a band of looters, and The Talking Bird, the Singing Tree, and the Golden Water the story of two princes and a princess who are stolen from their parents at birth and raised by a kindly gardener. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

Excellent Book - Maxfield Parish Illustrations in color
An excellent book. The color plates of the Maxfield Parish illustrations are wonderfull. I just purchased a copy for my niece.

Buyer Beware
This book is the quality of a black and white photocopy. The main reason I wanted a hardback copy of this book was to have nice prints of the Maxfield Parish illustrations. They appear HERE as tiny, low res, too dark, black and white. The print on demand nature of this book coupled with the high price leaves me feeling hoodwinked. Beware the comments from other readers --- they mention the wonderful full color illustrations from the out of print versions --- THIS BIBLIOBAZAAR, LLC VERSION DOES NOT HAVE COLOR ILLUSTRATIONS. Save your money --- keep looking.

Dense and Dated
This book has gorgeous illustrations and feels great in my hands... However the style of the writing is dense.It hardly holds my interest when there are so many other options.(I recommend the version by Andrew Lang, which also has lovely illustrations; and the stories are short and snappy.)

great performance
A terrific performance of the stories, as engrossing as Sheherazade meant them to be (I listened to a sample online, and when it ended I thought "hey, you can't just leave me without my knowing what happened next"
Flawed so far only by the inclusion of Aladdin, which is more like a bad Grimm fairy tale written for kkk children.

Wonders And Treasure
This is a good introduction into the tales of the Arabian Nights. Most of the tales involve characters seeking gold and riches of some sort and being able to get them easily by the use of magic. There is also a lot of turnings and twistings of fate; characters go from fortune to misfortune or vice versa. There is not internal depth to the characters here; so don't expect any interior monologues or in depth conversations about relationships. It is like reading a movie script; lots of action and wonder and a lot of stock characterization.

Aladdin is the most well developed tale as I read about Aladdin's development from a street urchin to a prince and the perils he goes through to attain such a position and keep it. A money for beauty exchange is made as it is done in some of these tales; he sees the beautiful princess, he wants her, he gets the riches to attain her. Even today, not much has changed.

Ali Baba and The Forty Thieves is also good as I read about Ali's finding the thieve's stash and the many perils he goes through to get the riches and keep them with help of his trusty and clever female slave.

"Prince Agib" was a good allegory about human nature in which the prince is forbidden to open a certain door. If he does, he will have to leave the paradise he has found and all the beautiful maidens who dwell there. ... Read more

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Volume 4 - includes, Selections from A House on Mango Street, How Wang-Fo Was Scared, Sleeping Arrangements, Palais de Justice, Forgiveness in Families, and The Jewbird ... Read more

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Leather bound book accented in 22kt gold. ... Read more