Saqi Books

Dr. Abdulhadi H. Taher outlines the role played by the Saudi government in defining strategies and drawing up plans for economic development, which have produced vast revenues for the kingdom. He also looks at the international negotiations and conferences in which Saudi Arabia took part in its efforts to regain control over its natural resources and guarantee stable oil prices.

Abdulhadi H. Taher received his PhD in business administration from the University of California, Berkeley in 1964. He has worked in both the public and private sectors, and has served as a board member of Aramco and governor of Petromin.

Praise for How Bosnia Armed (2004):

“Well-searched, thoughtful and provocative . . . required reading for anyone interested in the Bosnian conflict.”—The Journal of Military History

In this first comprehensive study of national identity in Bosnia-Herzegovina, the author seeks to explain what being Bosnian means to Muslims, Serbs, Croats, and Jews.

Marko Attila Hoare is a senior research fellow in the School of Social Sciences at Kingston University.

Al-Khwarizmi’s Algebra (Kitab al-Jabr wa-al-muqabala), written around 820, was the first scientific text in history to systematically present algebra as a mathematical discipline that is independent of geometry and arithmetic. Roshdi Rashed has produced the first Arabic critical edition of Al-Khwarizmi’s work, containing an annotated translation into English, an introductory essay, and extensive commentaries on the text.

Roshdi Rashed is a leading authority in the history and philosophy of science and mathematics. He is senior director of research at the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique in Paris, and is a former professor at the University of Tokyo.

The djinn is an invisible spirit with a will of its own that may lurk at the bottom of your teacup or seep through your pores to possess you. Djinns have long been an explanation for illness and misfortune or an excuse for unconventional behavior.

Barbara Drieskens investigates possession, manifestations, and concepts of person and space. She also explores the importance of storytelling in Egyptian society and recounts first-hand experiences of djinns in this unique ethnographic study.

Barbara Drieskens is a researcher at the Institut Français du Proche-Orient in Beirut, Lebanon.

The treatment of joint costs, which has troubled the sector for decades, is an integral part of any study of accounting in the petroleum industry.

Abdulhadi H. Taher treats joint costs and the problem of “transfer prices” from one division of an international petroleum organization to another as an essential element in determining the revenues to be assigned to each. He also discusses the chemistry of hydrocarbons in order to determine a formal system of cost allocation.

Abdulhadi H. Taher is the former director general of the Saudi Arabian Ministry of Petroleum and Minerals, and he has served as a board member of Aramco and governor of Petromin.

Fouad Ibrahim traces the evolution of Shi‘ite opposition in Saudi Arabia since the 1979 Shi‘ite uprisings, paying particular attention to the reform movement, which has succeeded in bringing issues of political and individual liberty to worldwide attention.

Fouad Ibrahim is an editor of Saudi Affairs. He has written extensively about Islam, Shi‘ism, and Saudi Arabia.

Culled from a vast selection of personal messages and transformed into postcards, A Lost Summer reflects a range of reactions, from defiance and courage, confusion and anger, to humor and hope.

When I was 2 years old, until I was 5, the worst bombing took place. When my siblings were about the same age, the same acts took place. For a while I thought that war is like chicken pox: it happens to everyone at a certain age.
—Wadiaa Khoury

A Lost Summer was edited by Maureen Ali, designed by Anna Ogden Smith, and compiled by Lebanon United. Lebanon United can be contacted through www.lebunited.org.

"In a part of the world in which journalism is a dangerous business, Randa Habib is courageous, considered, and influential. By being there to write the stories of Jordan and the region, she has shaped history as much as she has revealed it. In her profession, Randa Habib is a star."Paul McGeough, author of Kill Khalid

In January 1999, a newswire shocked Jordan. King Hussein announced that it was not his brother Hassan that would succeed him, but his son Abdullah. Less than a week later, King Hussein was dead.

During his forty-six-year reign, the Hashemite king preserved his kingdom against rising Islamism and maintained its neutrality in the face of the conflicting interests of neighboring countries. Hussein left his son a stable kingdom, allied to the West. Today, King Abdullah is following in his father’s footsteps, positioning himself as a peace broker alongside the United States in the hopes of ending the sixty-year Middle East conflict.

Award-winning journalist Randa Habib draws on twenty-five years of unparalleled access to the former king to share unique insights into Hussein’s relations with Saddam Hussein, Hafez al-Assad, and Itzhak Rabin. A lively chronicle of the end of an era, this is also a fascinating account of twenty-first-century Jordan, the Jordan of King Abdullah and Queen Rania.

Randa Habib has been director of the Amman bureau of Agence France Presse since 1987, and she has reported extensively from Iraq and other areas of conflict. Habib was the first journalist to interview King Abdullah when he ascended the throne.

“A feast for the eyes and balm for the soul.”—Télérama

Hassan Massoudy’s elegant calligraphy depicts the four seasons of the garden. From the icy palettes of winter to delicate spring growth, and from the dazzling sunshine and blooms of summer through the fading hues of autumn, he captures in calligraphy what countless poets have crafted with words.

The proverb or quotation that inspired each artwork is handwritten in Arabic by Massoudy alongside the English texts on the facing page.

Hassan Massoudy was born in Najaf, Iraq. He moved to France in 1969, where he studied at L’École des Beaux-Arts. His work has been exhibited throughout Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East.

The fantastic in literature is not a modern European invention; it is present in Arabic narrative dating from the ninth century.

The Imagination Unbound contains an Arabic and English study of al-Adab al-‘Aja‘ibi, with the original Arabic text of Kitab al-Azama (The Book of Greatness) and commentary by the author.

Kamel Abu-Deeb holds the chair in Arabic at the University of London. A poet and essayist, he has published many books and papers in both Arabic and English and has been co-editor of the avant-garde journal Mawaqif.

John Fine’s major study of the history and workings of the medieval Bosnian Church and heresy is now back in print. This crucial work has far-reaching implications for those interested in reconstructing the Islamisation of early Ottoman Bosnia.

John Fine is a professor of Balkan and Byzantine history at the University of Michigan.

The Arab media landscape has undergone fundamental changes since the 1990s, which has affected how information and coverage are transferred.

While new information and communication technologies emerge, such as Arab satellite television and blogging, censorship is adapting to these new possibilities of communication, which in turn affects the media's message and resultant public opinion.

Arnim Heinemann is a researcher at the Orient-Institut Beirut.

Olfa Lamloum is a researcher at the Institut Français du Proche-Orient, Beirut.

Anne Françoise Weber is a program manager at the Beirut office of the Friedrich Ebert Foundation.

This comprehensive volume recounts Croatia’s development from the early Middle Ages to the present day. Branka Magaš observes that the ties that bound Croatia to other states for centuries have contributed to the state’s vitality, with a complex web of Slav, Croat, Dalmatian, Slavonian, Serb, Jewish, Italian, Yugoslav, and other identities emerging as apart of an ongoing social and political dialogue, which at times has included open strife.

Branka Magaš is a historian, journalist, and commentator on the former Yugoslavia. She co-founded the Croatian Peace Forum in 1991 and the Alliance to Defend Bosnia-Herzegovina in 1993.

This timely investigation examines the energy problem on a global scale. It assesses the role of Saudi Arabian hydrocarbons in underpinning the industrialization of the kingdom's economy, and the economy at large, in light of recent events, which include the emergence of China and India as major economic and political players, the 2003 invasion of Iraq, and the current world financial crisis.

Abdulhadi H. Taher received his PhD in business administration from the University of California, Berkley, in 1964. He has worked in both the public and private sectors of the oil industry.

Michael Matthews has a BSc in economics from the London School of Economics.

Major cities worldwide are caught in a whirlwind of change that is turning urban spaces into strategic sites where history is being rewritten. Migration, civil society, and an array of national and transnational players are transforming assumptions about citizenship in Africa, Asia, the Middle East, and Latin America.

From the slums of Mumbai to the favelas of Rio de Janeiro, the new cities are altering the answers to one of mankind’s oldest questions: where do I belong?

Barbara Drieskens is a researcher at the Institut Français du Proche-Orient (IFPO), Beirut.

Franck Mermier is the director of contemporary studies at IFPO.

Heiko Wimmen is a program manager at the Heinrich Böll Foundation, Beirut.

Arak and Mezze celebrates two of the Levant’s cherished traditions—the aniseed-flavored spirit that inspired the great eaux de vie of Europe, and the appetizers that have become a byword for all that is delicious and healthy in Lebanese food.

Michael Karam and Norbert Schiller explore the roots of arak making, its place in the history of alcohol distillation, its role in Lebanese society, and the way in which it has shaped the Lebanese rural tradition.

Michael Karam is Lebanon’s leading wine writer.

Norbert Schiller is a prolific Middle East news photographer. His work is featured regularly in The New York Times and Der Spiegel.

"Safieh presents an enthralling compilation that expresses his love for humanity through essays, articles, and lectures." - Publishers Weekly

"These brilliant essays are essential reading for all who would seek to bridge the divide between Palestinians and Israelis."—Eugene Rogan

"Afif Safieh is that rare combination of scholar, diplomat and humanist. There is much to be learned from reading his work—a compelling and principled call for examination and engagement."—Sara Roy

Afif Safieh served as Palestinian General Delegate in London; Washington, DC; and Moscow from 1990 to 2009. During this time, he met and interacted with the leading figures of our age from Yasser Arafat, John Major, and Tony Blair to Jimmy Carter, George W. Bush, and Pope John Paul II.

The Peace Process: From Breakthrough to Breakdown brings together Safieh’s articles, lectures, and interviews spanning three decades, revealing the political and intellectual journey of one of Palestine’s most skilled and distinguished diplomats.

His writings center on the Palestinian struggle for independence and are a testament to his vision and humanity.

Born in Jerusalem in 1950, Afif Safieh is the roving ambassador for special missions for the Palestine Liberation Organization and the Fatah deputy commissioner for international relations. He served as head of mission in London; Washington, DC; and Moscow, as well as in the Holy See and the Netherlands.

J.E. Peterson takes a detailed look at the crises that have tested the mettle of Oman’s army and accelerated its development, surveying its transition from a strictly traditional regime controlling only parts of the country to a modern, inclusive state, particularly in terms of security concerns.

J.E. Peterson is a political analyst specializing in the Arabian Peninsula and the Gulf. He is affiliated with the Center for Middle Eastern Studies at The University of Arizona in Tucson.

The Arab world's strategic location and considerable material and human potential should allow it to play a major role in world affairs. However, plagued by authoritarian regimes, ethnic and social cleavages, economic underdevelopment, and military weakness, these states depend on external support for security. Hassan Hamdan al-Alkim provides a wide-ranging analysis for understanding contemporary Arab politics and its role in world affairs.

Hassan Hamdan al-Alkim was born in the United Arab Emirates in 1958. He earned his PhD in political science from Exeter University, United Kingdom, and is professor of international relations at the United Arab Emirates University. His website is www.hhalkim.ae.

The hajj, the fifth pillar of Islam, is a religious duty to be performed once in a lifetime by all Muslims who are able. The Prophet Muhammad set out the rituals of hajj when he led what became known as the Farewell Hajj in 10 AH (632 AD). This set the seal on Muhammad's career as the founder of a religion and the leader of a political entity based on that religion.

The convergence of the Prophet with the politician infuses the hajj with political, as well as religious, significance. For the caliphs who led the Islamic community after Muhammad's death, leadership of the hajj became a position of enormous political relevance as it presented them with an unrivaled opportunity to proclaim their pious credentials and reinforce their political legitimacy. This unique study analyzes information provided by contemporary sources about the leadership of the Hajj in Islam's formative period, between the seventh and tenth centuries, and assesses the pilgrimage from a political perspective.

A unique study because it collects and analyzes information provided by contemporary sources about the leadership of the Hajj in Islam's formative period, between the seventh and tenth centuries, and uses it to assess the pilgrimage from a political perspective.

Published in advance of a major British Museum exhibition, The Hajj: Journey to the Heart of Islam, opening in London in January 2012.

M.E. McMillan earned a PhD in Islamic history at the University of St Andrews, and has worked for the UN Security Council as a translator. The author lives in Belfast, Northern Ireland.

Can democracy and Islam cohere? Ibrahim Moussawi asserts that Wilayat al-Faqih, or rule by the jurisprudent, the theory upon which the Islamic Republic was constructed, upholds both individual and communal rights, and provides scope for citizens to express their interests. Moussawi argues that in today's Iran, politics and religion are neither rigid nor diametrically opposed.

Ibrahim Moussawi is head of media relations for Hizbullah in Lebanon, and the editor of the party's newspaper al-Intiqad. He has an MA in political science and a doctorate in philosophy of Islamic studies. He frequently appears as a political analyst and commentator on CNN and Sky News.

This long-awaited sequel to the classic Genesis of Arabic Narrative Discourse investigates a number of crucial questions related to the genre’s development. For example, can the study of this genre provide us with wider insights into the culture as a whole? And how have writers in one Arab country influenced those in others?

These are just some of the issues addressed through close reading of authors such as Yusuf Idris, ‘Abd al-Rahman al-Sharqawi, and Edwar al-Kharrat, among others.

Sabry Hafez is a professor of modern Arabic and comparative literature at the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London.

Based on the masterful twelfth-century Sufi poem “The Conference of the Birds,” this enchanting poem is accompanied by original illustrations painted on ceramic tiles, typical of the medieval Persian style.

It was one night while soaring in the Chinese sky,
I heard people talk of a great bird that flew by,
Called Simurgh, the greatest bird alive,
Who dwells on Mount Qaf, where he is said to thrive,
Upon a giant mountain unlike any other seen, covered with trees,
Beyond Samarkand, across seven valleys and seven seas.

Hooda Shawa Qaddumi teaches English as a Second Language at Kuwait University.

Vanessa Hodgkinson is the Levy-Plumb Artist in Residence at Christ’s College, Cambridge.

The Druze, who can be traced back to eleventh-century Levant, have long intrigued scholars of the Middle East. Their obscure origins and blending of beliefs from Ismali Shi‘ism, animism, Greek philosophy, Jewish and Christian mysticism, Iranian Gnosticism, and Buddhism have set them apart from their neighbors.

The author reveals the remarkable Druze pantheon of semi-deities and investigates their dogmas and rituals. The book also includes rarely seen extracts from the sacred writings of the Druze.

Philip Khuri Hitti (1886–1978) was born in Lebanon and taught at Princeton University from 1926 to 1954.

“Being a woman in Iran is hard, and working as a woman photographer is even harder.”—Shadi Ghadirian

Shadi Ghadirian is one of Iran’s leading contemporary photographers. Born in Tehran in 1974, she has exhibited widely in Europe and the United States, and her work has been collected by museums worldwide.

She came to the limelight in the late 1990s with her Qajar series, in which she examines the paradoxical position of women in Iran. Women in traditional clothing pose with items such as a mountain bike or a boom box.

Rose Issa is a freelance curator, specializing in contemporary visual arts and films from the Arab world and Iran.

Since the oil boom of the 1970s, the Gulf Cooperation Council States have attempted to achieve economic stability and realize their development goals. Such efforts have so far been in vain, however, as the states' autocratic governments have closed off their political systems with the support of international allies, especially the United States.

In this timely and comprehensive analysis of the political economies of the GCC since the 1970s to the present, Yousef Khalifa Al-Yousef examines the factors responsible for the failure of the states to achieve lasting change in development and security. Focusing on institutional structures where oil wealth has been confined to the few, and the consequences of failed legitimacy at home that has led to dependence on foreign powers, Al-Yousef charts the consistent disparities between governance and the needs of the local population, to the detriment of genuine development.

"The Arab world's greatest living poet."—The New York Times

"Adonis is one of the most important major literary figures of our century. His vision is extraordinary, his poetry sublime . . . a master of our times."—V. S. Naipaul

At first glance, Sufism and Surrealism appear to be as far removed from one another as is possible. Adonis, however, draws convincing parallels between the two, contesting that God, in the traditional sense, does not exist in Surrealism or in Sufism, and that both are engaged in parallel quests for the nature of the Absolute, through "holy madness" and the deregulation of the senses.

This is a remarkable investigation into the common threads of thought that run through seemingly polarised philosophies from East and West, written by a man Edward Said referred to as "the most eloquent spokesman and explorer of Arab modernity."

Adonis is one of the most celebrated poets and essayists of the Arab world. Born in Syria in 1930, he fled political persecution and settled in Lebanon in the 1950s, where he led the modernist movement in Arabic poetry. He has written more than thirty books in Arabic, including the pioneering work An Introduction to Arab Poetics, and was awarded the Goethe Prize in 2011 for his contribution to international literature. His other awards include the Spiros Vergos Prize for Freedom of Expression, the Bjørnson Prize, the International Nâzim Hikmet Poetry Award, and the Syria-Lebanon Best Poet Award.

“Boullata takes the reader close to the struggle of those visionary, obstinate Palestinian artists who create so that their anonymous heroic land with its ancestral olive trees may survive.”—John Berger

“It is rare and exciting to find an art book full of persuasive, urgent visual imagery whose language and strategies are ultimately unfamiliar, whatever their surface appearance, to the complacent western eye. And it is refreshing to sense that the pull of much of the work derives from and points back to Palestinian culture itself, rather than being necessarily part of the self-conscious east-west discourse which so preoccupied Edward Said. As such it represents another advance in international understanding of Palestinian history and aspiration, but determinedly through the artist's eye.”—Guardian UK

This diverse selection features pre-1948 paintings alongside contemporary media works, highlighting the political concerns of Palestinian artists and their unique contributions to modern Arab culture. Works by artists who live in Palestine are examined alongside those of artists from the Palestinian diaspora.

Kamal Boullata is a painter and writer. His writings on Palestinian art have appeared in numerous art and academic periodicals, and he recently edited Belonging and Globalisation: Critical Essays on Contemporary Art and Culture (Saqi Books).

"A detailed and fascinating biography."—The Economist

"A masterpiece of scholarship. . . . [Vassiliev] has managed to bring to life the legacy of one of Saudi Arabia's most interesting and influential figures."—Anoush Ehteshami, Durham University

In 1964 Faisal bin Abdul Aziz became king of a country holding a quarter of the world's oil reserves, also home to Mecca and Medina. He was called "the most powerful Arab ruler in centuries." Eleven years later, in front of television cameras, his nephew shot him at point-blank range.

In this authoritative biography, Alexei Vassiliev tells the story of a pious, cautious and resolute leader who steered Saudi Arabia through a minefield of domestic problems, inter-Arab relations and the decline of Soviet influence in the Middle East. King Faisal maintained ties with both Egypt and the United States through two Arab-Israeli wars and the 1973 Arab oil embargo, which revolutionized the world energy market. Throughout, he staked high hopes on cooperation with the United States, a relationship that is still vital to both countries' interests.

Exhaustively researched and including original documents and interviews in Arabic, Russian, and English, King Faisal of Saudi Arabia offers a unique perspective of this seminal figure and is key to understanding the Arab world today.

Alexei Vassiliev is Honorary President of the Institute for African Studies at the Russian Academy of Sciences. He is the author of over forty books, including the acclaimed The History of Saudi Arabia, winner of the Choice Outstanding Academic Book Award, and Central Asia: Political and Economic Challenges in the Post-Soviet Era.

"A unique book. . . . al-Azm sought to strip Arab thought of its belief in fate and folk tales and superstition. . . . He told his people the sort of truths that outsiders are too embarrassed to tell, even when they were themselves able to see these truths."—Fouad Ajami

The 1967 War—which led to the defeat of Syria, Jordan, and Egypt by Israel—felt like an unprecedented and unimaginable disaster for the Arab world at the time. For many, the easiest solution was to shift the blame and to ignore some of the glaring defects of Arab society.

Hailed as one of the foremost Arab intellectuals of recent decades, Sadik al-Azm was one of the few to challenge such a view in his seminal Self-Criticism After the Defeat. In it, he offered a penetrating analysis that probed deep into Arab society, and reasoned that Arabs had to embrace democracy, gender equality, and science to achieve progress.

Self-Criticism After the Defeat represents a milestone in modern Arab intellectual history. It marked a turning point in Arab discourse about society and politics on publication in 1968, and spawned other intellectual ventures into Arab self-criticism. This is the first translation of the work into English.

Born in Damascus in 1934, Sadik al-Azm is professor emeritus of modern European philosophy at the University of Damascus, Syria. He earned his PhD (1961) from Yale University, and was visiting professor in the department of near Eastern studies at Princeton University until 2008.

Renowned art historian Hamid Keshmirshekan explores contemporary art in Iran and considers the relationship between its cultural past, modernism, and the issue of contemporaneity with regard to cultural specificity.

Using over three hundred color illustrations, Keshmirshekan contends that the twentieth century is a crucial period in the culture and art of Iran—when the legacies of tradition and modernism were being critically reviewed and the artistic concerns were indivisible from ideological ones.

Hamid Keshmirshekan is an art historian, critic, visiting fellow at the faculty of Oriental Studies at the University of Oxford, and editor-in-chief of the bilingual quarterly Art Tomorrow.

“Let there be spaces in your togetherness.
And let the winds of the heavens dance between you.” Khalil Gibran

Inspired by love poems from the Arab and Muslim world, Hassan Massoudy’s elegant, swirling compositions capture in calligraphy what countless poets have wrought with words. Through broad strokes and vibrant colours, the artist conveys the essence and meaning of love as captured by Rumi, Khalil Gibran, Ibn Zaydoun and Paul Eluard among others.

With over one hundred colour illustrations, Calligraphies of Love is a unique gift book bringing together new works by one of the greatest calligraphers of our time.

Hassan Massoudy was born in 1944 in Najaf, southern Iraq. He moved to Baghdad in 1961 where he learnt the various classical styles of calligraphy, and studied graphic design and fine arts. He then studied at L’École des Beaux-Arts in Paris, France, where he was further influenced by the art of Leger, Matisse, Soulages and Picasso. Massoudy’s work has been exhibited throughout Europe and the Middle East, and is in the permanent collections of the British Museum in London and the Jordan National Gallery of Fine Arts, among others. His other publications in English include The Calligrapher’s Garden.

This powerful collection of poems details the harrowing experiences endured by Abani and other political prisoners at the hands of Nigeria’s military regime in the late 1980s.

Born in Qazvin, Iran, in 1944, Koorosh Shishegaran is considered one of the most expressive and emotive artists of the contemporary Iranian art movement.

In a career spanning six decades, he has established himself as an artist of great discipline, social awareness and manual skill, working in a wide array of different media, from graphic design to painting, photography and furniture design.

Drawing inspiration from Iranian visual culture, Shishegaran is best known for his scribble line abstract paintings (Khat-khatis). These dynamic colourful lines, depicting the contemporary human condition, enabled the artist to find a style and language expressive of the modern era.

With contributions from leading experts in the field and featuring over 300 colour plates, Koorosh Shishegaran: The Art of Altruism brings together the life and works of the artist for the first time, showcasing his various artistic phases and outlining his progressive approach to art-making and distribution.

About Koorosh Shishegaran

Koorosh Shishegaran (b. 1944) received a BA in Interior Design from the Tehran Faculty of Decorative Arts in 1973. He has since participated widely in solo and group exhibitions around the world, including Art Dubai (2015); Shirin Gallery, Tehran (2015); Unedited History. Iran 1960–2014, at MAXXI, Rome (2015) and Musée d’Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris (2014); Opera Gallery, London (2012); Beijing Biennial (2003); Barbican Centre, London (2001); Meridian Center exhibitions in the United States (2001–03).

Designed as a reader for intermediate students of Arabic and those who may wish to broaden their appreciation of leading Middle Eastern writers, this collection features stories in both Arabic and English translation. Prefaced by an author biography plus notes on context and background, each story is followed by a glossary and discussion of problematic language points.

Authors include Naguib Mahfouz, Edwar al-Kharrat, Hanan al-Shaykh, Layla al-Uthman, and Mohamed Choukri.

Ronak Husni is a senior lecturer at Heriot-Watt University, teaching Arabic language, literature, and translation.

Daniel L. Newman is the course director of the MA in Arabic/English Translation at the University of Durham and the author of An Imam in Paris (Saqi Books).

Who shot Kamar al-Dawar Alwan? Was it a crime of passion? What was the role of the beautiful peasant girl Rim? Is the mysterious Sheikh Asfur as crazy as he seems? Partly autobiographical, Diary of a Country Prosecutor is an Egyptian comedy of errors. Imbued with the ideals of a European education, the young public prosecutor encounters a world of poverty and backwardness where an imported legal system is both alien and incomprehensible.

Tawfik al-Hakim was born in Alexandria in 1898 and studied law in Paris. He became the Arab world’s leading dramatist, as well as a major short story writer.

“This book addresses one of the great conundrums of the Arab Awakening: the failure of moderate political Islam. A highly timely analysis ... it offers an excellent insight into one of the most acute crises that faces the Islamic world today.”—George Joffé, University of Cambridge

“Alison Pargeter's outstanding book offers a devastating portrait of Muslim Brotherhood groups in Egypt, Tunisia, and Libya. Combining strong reporting with level-headed analysis, Return to the Shadows is a must-read account for policymakers and academics alike.”—Eric Trager, Esther K. Wagner Fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy

“Over the last five years the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt, Libya and Tunisia has undergone dramatic vicissitudes that will shape the future of political Islam. Alison Pargeter retraces these developments with a masterful analysis enriched by access to excellent primary sources.”—Lorenzo Vidino, Director of the Program on Extremism, George Washington University

The Arab Spring heralded a profound shift in the Middle East, bringing to power Islamist movements which had previously been operating in the shadows. The Muslim Brotherhood stormed to victory in Egypt and emerged as a key player in Libya’s nascent political arena. Meanwhile, An-Nahda found itself catapulted into power as the head of Tunisia’s coalition government. For a while, it looked as though the region was entering the dawn of a new Islamist age.

But navigating their respective countries through difficult and painful transitions ultimately proved too challenging for these forces, and, just as suddenly, the Brotherhood was dramatically overthrown in Egypt and left severely weakened in Libya. In Tunisia, An-Nahda managed to pull itself through the crisis, but its failure to articulate and deliver the hopes and aspirations of a large section of Tunisian society damaged its credibility.

In this authoritative account, Alison Pargeter expertly charts the Islamists’ ascent and subsequent fall from power. Based on extensive research and interviews with high ranking members of the Brotherhood and An-Nahda, Pargeter offers a comparative analysis of the movement in North Africa since the Arab Spring, and outlines the consequences of the Brotherhood’s decline on both the region and the wider Islamist political project.

Alison Pargeter is an analyst specialising in the Middle East and North Africa. She has held academic positions at the University of Cambridge and King's College, London, and is now a Senior Research Fellow at the Royal United Services Institute for Defence and Security Studies (RUSI). Her previous publications include The Muslim Brotherhood: From Opposition to Power, The New Frontiers of Jihad: Radical Islam in Europe, and Libya: The Rise and Fall of Gaddafi.

Suleiman's reign as Sultan marked the apogee of Ottoman power. His empire held dominion over three continents, and, populated by more than thirty million inhabitants, prospered under a well-directed and authoritarian economy. In this celebrated book André Clot successfully produces both a life of the man and a stimulating popular history of the Ottoman Empire during this period.

André Clot (1909–2002) was a French historian and journalist. He lived in Turkey and the Middle East for many years and was an expert on Islam.