Visions & Mirages [antikvár]

IntroductionAll men dream dreams, but not equallyT. E. LawrenceThe Middle East is a visionary's paradise: it is the Garden of Eden and the site of Armageddon, home to some of the world's oldest cultures and to some of its most developed states. It is a region blessed with riches, yet still struggling with poverty. An area whose most famous city is the City of Peace, but whose most common characteristic so often seems to be its penchant for war.As a region it is overly well endowed with clichés. There are rolling deserts patrolled by bedouin on their camels: there are oil sheikhs flaunting their wealth with gold taps and palaces made of the finest Italian marble. There are the street urchins of Istanbul or Cairo and soldiers and gunmen everywhere. As with all good clichés, such images contain more than a grain of truth, but there is more to the Middle East than this. For the region is one of the most complex and vibrant regions of the world; full of contradictions and nuances.Nor is there any shortage of visionaries and dreamers. The Arab-Israeh conflict has been resolved by countless participants, analysts and consultants. There are detailed plans for an independent Palestine and masterplans for the permanent annexation of Judaea and Samaria to the state of Israel. There are plans to pipe the waters of the Taurus mountains in Turkey to the shipyards and office blocks of the Gulf and to the mosques of Mecca and Medina; and to pipe energy the other way, with new gas and oil pipelines bringing the region's wealth to Europe and Africa. There are plans to establish a united Arab empire from the Atlantic Ocean to the gateway to India; and for the fragmentation of the Levant into a cluster of mini-states.Some of these plans are simple mirages: enticing images seen through the haze; others are visions: they may or may not come true, but they will continue to inspire the peoples, and the dreamers, of the Middle East.This book is an attempt to portray the principal currents and, in particular, the undercurrents, that are shaping the Middle East as it approaches a new millennium. There are assessments of key themes such as borders, water and the role of oil. The consequences of the Gulf war and the demons of nationalism are considered. In sum, it is an attempt to portray the Middle East in a fashion used so brilliantly in