Anwar Sadat

"This work will serve as the standard authoritative text for understanding the origins of the Egyptian-Israeli peace process". -- Israel Gershoni, Tel Aviv University

Yoram Meital's study is the first to trace systematically the processes that led from the 1967 war to the beginning of Egyptian-Israeli reconciliation marked by President Anwar Sadat's visit to Israel in late 1977. He provides a detailed, chronologically structured account of the steps leading from 1967 to the Jerusalem visit, and he demonstrates how Sadat's visit, while personally and politically courageous, was nevertheless completely in keeping with Egypt's course of national interest set out nearly a decade earlier.

Making extensive use of hitherto untapped Arabic and Hebrew sources, Meital convincingly demonstrates that the history of the peace process did not begin with the 1973 war but had its origin in the period of 1967-70. Further, he argues that the transformation was less a matter of individual personality than part of a redefinition of the Egyptian national interest occasioned by the new military, political, and socioeconomic circumstances created by the 1967 war. These circumstances forced Egypt to narrow the conflict from an existential battle to a territorial dispute and disagreement over the terms of peace.

For reasons of national security, official public records surrounding Americas involvement in the Arab-Israeli negotiations remain unavailable. Heroic Diplomacy provides an unequalled insight into the internal divisions and untold stories of the peace process. Covering an extraordinary range of first-hand accounts from over eighty bureaucrats, diplomats and military leaders who participated in Arab-Israeli peace talks from 1973 to 1978 the book charts the complex and often contradictory goals of Egypt, Israel, Jordan, the US and the USSR.

Each volume of the Library in a Book series is carefully designed to be a complete first-stop resource for research on important issues and events, many of which strongly affect the United States. Clearly written and organized, the books give the researcher an objective overview of the subject and a wealth of information in a variety of formats, as well as an extensive section on additional sources -- from other books to videos to web sites.

Each book includes:
-- A historical survey of the topic
-- A chronology of significant events
-- Information on court cases and/or significant legislation
-- Concise biographies of important people
-- A glossary of terms, names, and acronyms
-- An annotated bibliography (approximately one-third of the book)
-- A list of relevant organizations
-- A detailed index.

The dispute, now in its second century, between indigenous Palestinians and the European-born Zionist movement has been a focus of international attention since World WarI. The Arab-Israel Dispute profiles this conflict, from its historical roots to the present.

The second edition of this lucid and accessible work rapidly established itself as a textbook for universities and colleges. This new edition brings it further up to date and places the achievements and failures of President Mubarak in context. The new material includes an examination of Egypt's role in the Gulf Crisis. The book is divided by topic and areas covered include: * The political ideologies of Presidents Nasser and Sadat * The economic problems facing the nation * The role of Islam in politics and in society * Egyptian culture and literature

Shrouded in mystery, the Islamic presence in the Middle East evokes longstanding Western fears of terrorism and holy war. Our media have consistently focused on these extremes of Islam, overlooking a quiet yet pervasive religious movement that is now transforming the nation of Egypt. Drawing on hundreds of interviews, No God But God opens up previously inaccessible segments of Egyptian society--from the universities and professional sectors to the streets--to illustrate the deep penetration of "Popular Islamic" influence. Abdo provides a firsthand account of this peaceful movement, allowing its moderate leaders, street preachers, scholars, doctors, lawyers, men and women of all social classes to speak for themselves. Challenging Western stereotypes, she finds that this growing number of Islamists do not seek the violent overthrow of the government or a return to a medieval age. Instead, they believe their religious values are compatible with the demands of the modern world. They are working within and beyond the secular framework of the nation to gradually create a new society based on Islamic principles. Abdo narrates fascinating accounts of their methods and successes. Today, for example, university students meet in underground unions, despite a state ban. In addition, sheikhs have recently used their new legislative power to censor books and movies deemed to violate religious values. Both fascinating and unsettling, Abdo's findings identify a grassroots model for transforming a secular nation-state to an Islamic social order that will likely inspire other Muslim nations. This model cannot be ignored, for it will soon help organized Islamists to undermine secular control of Egypt and potentially jeopardize Western interests in the Arab world.

This first encyclopedia about the Arab-Israeli conflict by a team of experts gives detailed and comprehensive coverage of the important political, military, and diplomatic events, places, people, groups, agreements, treaties, and issues that have marked this controversial and complex regional and international conflict. A team of authorities with varying backgrounds, interests, disciplines, and perspectives gives special attention to the period since the adoption of the Palestine partition plan in November 1947, the first Arab-Israeli War up to the Israel-PLO Declaration of Principles and subsequent agreements, as well as the Israel-Jordan Peace Treaty and implementation process. Hundreds of entries arranged alphabetically provide hard-to-find information and point to sources for further reading and research. Extensive cross-references, a chronology of important events, a bibliographical essay, and a general index further enhance this basic research tool.