The Great War for Civilisation

A sweeping and dramatic history of the last half century of conflict in the Middle East from an award-winning journalist who has covered the region for over forty years, The Great War for Civilisation unflinchingly chronicles the tragedy of the region from the Algerian Civil War to the Iranian Revolution; from the American hostage crisis in Beirut to the Iran-Iraq War; from the 1991 Gulf War to the American invasion of Iraq in 2003. A book of searing drama as well as lucid, incisive analysis, The Great War for Civilisation is a work of major importance for today's world.

Short-listed for Arthur Ross Book Award 2007

“"Notable for Yits? depth of observation and insight and for the vividness of Yits? descriptions of particular events and people. YFisk has? a strong affection and respect for the suffering majority of Palestinians and Israelis inexorably caught up in the storm of violence, fear, mythology, and hatred that the former territory of Palestine has become . . . His extraordinarily readable book depicts a vast historical landscape . . . For all his erudition and his passion for the subject, Fisk is primarily a journalist, and his book, among many other things, is an important account of what a journalist actually does or tries to do, especially during wars . . . Fisk's powers of observation make his war reporting particularly vivid Yand he? has developed a network of friends and acquaintances throughout the region who provide background and depth for his stories . . . Shocking . . . Deeply moving." -Brian Urquhart, "New York Review of Books" "Combining a novelist's talent for atmosphere with a scholar's grasp of historical sweep, foreign correspondent Fisk has written one of the most dense and compelling accounts of recent Middle Eastern history yet . . . Fisk, who has lived in and reported on the Middle East since 1976, first for the (London) "Times" and now for the "Independent," possesses deep knowledge of the broader history of the region . . . It is his capacity for visceral description--he has seen, or tracked down firsthand accounts of, all the major events of the past 25 years--that makes this volume unique . . . A stunning achievement." --"Publishers Weekly "(starred review) "The most comprehensive survey of 25 years of Middle Eastern conflict."-"Library Journal" "An epic account . . . a rich tapestry of the contemporary Middle East Yand an? engagingly thorough tour of the region's turmoil." -"Newsweek International" "Fisk is a gifted writer and an accomplished storyteller, so those who have not read him before will enjoy Ythe'wealth of hard-won narrative detail accumulated over the decades of intrepid reporting." --"The Economist" "A magisterial report from the shifting front lines of the Middle East. It deserves to be read by all those who are concerned with what is happening in Iraq today." -"Boston Sunday Globe" "The book seals Robert Fisk's place as a venerable, indispensable contributor to informed debate in and about the Middle East." -"The Nation" "From the Hardcover edition."”

"A magisterial report from the shifting front lines of the Middle East. It deserves to be read by all those concerned with what is happening in Iraq today." —The Boston Globe“A stimulating and absorbing book, by a man who . . . has met the leading players, from bin Laden to Ahmad Chalabi. . . . A formidable production.” —The New York Times Book Review“Vivid, graphic, intense. . . . A book of unquestionable importance. . . . [Fisk’s] experience of war is unmatched, [as is] his capacity to convey that experience in concrete, passionate language.” —The Washington Post Book World“Fisk’s magnum opus. . . . Seals [his] place as a venerable, indispensable contributor to informed debate in and about the Middle East.” —The Nation“Powerful . . . Mr. Fisk is a gifted writer and an accomplished storyteller . . . his love affair with the region and the glamorous profession of being a foreign correspondent finds expression on every page.” —The Economist

Bestselling author and journalist Robert Fisk holds more British and international journalism awards than any other foreign correspondent. Fisk is currently the Middle East correspondent of The Independent, based in Beirut. He has lived in the Arab world for more than 40 years, covering Lebanon, five Israeli invasions, the Iran-Iraq war, the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, the Algerian civil war, Saddam Hussein’s invasion of Kuwait, the Bosnian and Kosovo wars, the American invasion and occupation of Iraq and the 2011 Arab revolutions. He has been awarded the British International Journalist of the Year Award seven times and has also received the Amnesty International UK Press Award twice. Robert Fisk received a Ph.D. in Political Science from Trinity College, Dublin and was The Times's (London) Belfast correspondent from 1971-1975 and its Middle East correspondent from 1976-1987. He is also the author of Pity the Nation, a history of the Lebanese war, and The Age of the Warrior, an anthology of his ‘Comment’ pieces from the Independent. 

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