Avi Shlaim – författare

In July 1950, Avi Shlaim, only five, and his family were forced into exile, fleeing their beloved Iraq to the new state of Israel.'Remarkable.' Max Hastings, THE SUNDAY TIMESToday the once flourishing Jewish community of Iraq, at one time numbering over 130,000 and tracing its history back 2,600 years, has all but vanished.Why so? One explanation speaks of the timeless clash between Arab and Jewish civilisations and a heroic Zionist mission to rescue Eastern Jews from backward nations and unceasing persecution.Avi Shlaim tears up this script. His parents had many Muslim friends in Baghdad and no interest in Zionism. As anti-Semitism surged in Iraq, the Zionist underground fanned the flames. Yet when Iraqi Jews fled to Israel, they faced an uncertain future, their history was rewritten to serve a Zionist narrative.This memoir breathes life into an almost forgotten world. Weaving together the personal and the political, Three Worlds offers a fresh perspective on Arab-Jews, caught in the crossfire of Zionism and nationalism.***A TLS AND NEW STATESMAN BOOK OF THE YEAR 2023A NOVARA BEST BOOK OF 2024'A beautifully written book which artfully blends the personal with the political.' Justin Marozzi, SPECTATOR'Three Worlds, by the Oxford historian of the modern Middle East Avi Shlaim, is an often enchanting memoir of his childhood in Baghdad... A gripping account... A lost world in Iraq is brilliantly brought back to life in this fascinating memoir.' David Abulafia, FINANCIAL TIMES

Avi Shlaim's Lion of Jordan: The Life of King Hussein in War and Peace is the first major account one of the most important figures in the turbulent history of the Middle East.Peace-broker, statesman, charismatic ruler and master of realpolitik, Hussein of Jordan was one of the dominant figures in Middle Eastern politics, its most continuous presence, and one of the most consistent proponents of peace with Israel.For over forty years he was at the eye of the storm in the region, constantly negotiating between the Arab world and the Israelis, guiding his country through conflict, surviving assassination attempts and trying to fulfill his lifelong quest for peace and the survival of his dynasty. This is the first major account of Hussein's remarkable dialogue across the battle lines, and of his covert meetings with Israeli leaders. Drawing on extensive archival sources and on unprecedented interviews with Hussein, his family, and confidants, it reveals a titanic leader and a courageous man. 'A thrilling, masterful biography'Simon Sebag-Montefiore, Sunday Telegraph Books of the Year'The most comprehensive biography of the "plucky little king"'Anton La Guardia, Literary Review'A nuanced portrait of Jordan's late King Hussein ... salutes Hussein's extraordinary physical and moral courage'Daily TelegraphAvi Shlaim was born in Baghdad in 1945; grew up in Israel; and received his university education at Cambridge and the LSE. His books include Collusion Across the Jordan: King Abdullah, The Zionist Movement, and the Partition of Palestine (Winner of the Political Studies Association's WJM Mackenzie Prize, 1988), War and Peace in the Middle East: A Concise History and The Iron Wall: Israel and the Arab World.

Avi Shlaim's The Iron Wall: Israel and the Arab World is the outstanding book on Israeli foreign policy, now thoroughly updated with a new preface and chapters on Israel's most recent leadersIn the 1920s, hard-line Zionists developed the doctrine of the 'Iron Wall': negotiations with the Arabs must always be from a position of military strength, and only when sufficiently strong Israel would be able to make peace with her Arab neighbours.This doctrine, argues Avi Shlaim, became central to Israeli policy; dissenters were marginalized and many opportunities to reconcile with Palestinian Arabs were lost. Drawing on a great deal of new material and interviews with many key participants, Shlaim places Israel's political and military actions under and uncompromising lens.His analysis will bring scant comfort to partisans on both sides, but it will be required reading for anyone interested in this fascinating and troubled region of the world.'The Iron Wall is strikingly fair-minded, scholarly, cogently reasoned and makes enthralling ... reading' Philip Ziegler, Daily Telegraph'Anyone wanting to understand the modern Middle East should start by reading this elegantly written and scrupulously researched book' Trevor Royle, Sunday Herald'A milestone in modern scholarship of the Middle East' Edward Said'Fascinating ... Shlaim presents compelling evidence for a revaluation of traditional Israeli history' Ethan Bronner, The New York Times Book ReviewAvi Shlaim is Professor of International Relations at St. Antony's College, Oxford. His previous books include Collusion Across the Jordan (1988) and War and Peace in the Middle East (1995).

The Cold War has been researched in minute detail and written about at great length but it remains one of the most elusive and enigmatic conflicts of modern times. With the ending of the Cold War, it is now possible to review the entire post-war period, to examine the Cold War as history. The Middle East occupies a special place in the history of the Cold War. It was critical to its birth, its life and its demise. In the aftermath of the Second World War, it became one of the major theatres of the Cold War on account of its strategic importance and its oil resources. The key to the international politics of the Middle East during the Cold War era is the relationship between external powers and local powers. Most of the existing literature on the subject focuses on the policies of the Great Powers towards the local region. The Cold War and the Middle East redresses the balance by concentrating on the policies of the local actors. It looks at the politics of the region not just from the outside in but from the inside out. The contributors to this volume are leading scholars in the field whose interests combine International Relations and Middle Eastern Studies.

In this reissue of the abridged paperback edition of his critically acclaimed Collusion Across the Jordan, Professor Shlaim chronicles King Abdullah's relationship with the Zionist movement from his appointment as Emir of Transjordan in 1921 to his assassination in 1951. Focusing on the events that led to the partition of Palestine, the author, a leading figure in the school of revisionist Israeli historians, challenges many of the myths and legends that have come to surround the first Arab-Israeli war and the creation of the State of Israel. For this reissue, Professor Shlaim has written a new Introduction, placing the book in the wider context of the on-going debate about 1948, and reflecting on the subsequent course of Israeli-Jordanian relations, which culminated in the signing of a peace treaty in 1994. This is a masterly and authoritative study, which not only illuminates the past, but adds substantially to our understanding of the present. It is essential reading for all those interested in the politics of the Middle East. Winner of the W. J. M. Mackenzie prize

For this newly expanded edition, Avi Shlaim has added fourchapters and an epilogue that address the prime ministershipsfrom Barak to Netanyahu in the “one book everyoneshould read for a concise history of Israel’s relations withArabs” (Independent). What was promulgated as an “iron-wall”strategy—building a position of unassailable strength—was meant to yield to a further stage where Israel would bestrong enough to negotiate a satisfactory peace with itsneighbors. The goal still remains elusive, if not even furtheraway. This penetrating study brilliantly illuminates past progressand future prospects for peace in the Middle East.

The United States and the Berlin Blockade, 1948–1949: A Study in Crisis Decision-Making by Avi Shlaim offers a penetrating analysis of one of the most dangerous confrontations of the early Cold War. When Stalin moved to blockade Berlin, Western leaders faced a sudden test of will, values, and resolve under the pressure of time and the threat of armed conflict. Drawing on extensive archival research, Shlaim reconstructs the flow of decisions taken in Washington as policymakers weighed options ranging from negotiation to military force, ultimately settling on the unprecedented airlift that became a defining episode of the postwar order. In doing so, he not only illuminates a turning point in East–West relations but also probes the psychological strains of crisis leadership itself.Part of the International Crisis Behavior series, the book employs a common research design to examine decisional units, perceptions of threat, and the narrowing of choices under extreme stress. Shlaim demonstrates how American leaders understood Soviet intentions, how they defined the stakes of Western security, and how they sought to balance risk with credibility in the eyes of allies and adversaries alike. The narrative offers both the drama of unfolding crisis and a systematic inquiry into how statesmen process information, consult, and decide when events threaten to spiral into war. Combining the craft of the historian with the analytical tools of social science, The United States and the Berlin Blockade remains an essential case study in Cold War history and in the broader study of crisis decision-making—revealing how even under acute pressure, leaders can sometimes marshal clarity, restraint, and imagination in the defense of international order.This title is part of UC Press's Voices Revived program, which commemorates University of California Press’s mission to seek out and cultivate the brightest minds and give them voice, reach, and impact. Drawing on a backlist dating to 1893, Voices Revived makes high-quality, peer-reviewed scholarship accessible once again using print-on-demand technology. This title was originally published in 1983.

The United States and the Berlin Blockade, 1948–1949: A Study in Crisis Decision-Making by Avi Shlaim offers a penetrating analysis of one of the most dangerous confrontations of the early Cold War. When Stalin moved to blockade Berlin, Western leaders faced a sudden test of will, values, and resolve under the pressure of time and the threat of armed conflict. Drawing on extensive archival research, Shlaim reconstructs the flow of decisions taken in Washington as policymakers weighed options ranging from negotiation to military force, ultimately settling on the unprecedented airlift that became a defining episode of the postwar order. In doing so, he not only illuminates a turning point in East–West relations but also probes the psychological strains of crisis leadership itself.Part of the International Crisis Behavior series, the book employs a common research design to examine decisional units, perceptions of threat, and the narrowing of choices under extreme stress. Shlaim demonstrates how American leaders understood Soviet intentions, how they defined the stakes of Western security, and how they sought to balance risk with credibility in the eyes of allies and adversaries alike. The narrative offers both the drama of unfolding crisis and a systematic inquiry into how statesmen process information, consult, and decide when events threaten to spiral into war. Combining the craft of the historian with the analytical tools of social science, The United States and the Berlin Blockade remains an essential case study in Cold War history and in the broader study of crisis decision-making—revealing how even under acute pressure, leaders can sometimes marshal clarity, restraint, and imagination in the defense of international order.This title is part of UC Press's Voices Revived program, which commemorates University of California Press’s mission to seek out and cultivate the brightest minds and give them voice, reach, and impact. Drawing on a backlist dating to 1893, Voices Revived makes high-quality, peer-reviewed scholarship accessible once again using print-on-demand technology. This title was originally published in 1983.

The book discusses the trade and economic interdependence of the EEC and the countries of the Council for the Mutual Economic Assistance (CMEA) and the institutional problems associated with this relationship. This study of EEC-CMEA relations provides valuable insights into such questions as the impact of the formation of trade blocs on the development of world trade and the difficulties that arise in coordinating external commercial policy among states with separate treasuries, monetary authorities and foreign ministries. The book compares the process of economic integration in Eastern and Western Europe and points our hitherto neglected similarities. It traces the evolution of the dialogue between the EEC Commission and the CMEA Secretariat and the development of the Soviet views on Western European integration - a matter of vital importance in assessing the potential for business like relations between the two integration blocs.

It has become fashionable to depict the EEC as a protectionist, 'inward-looking' rich men's club and to dismiss its trade and aid policies as a subtle form of neo-colonialist exploitation. But less attention has been paid to the precise impact which trade relations with the EEC have had on the Community's associates. This symposium seeks to redress the balance by examining systematically the whole nexus of economic relations which links the countries of the Mediterranean area with the EEC. The community's policies and particularly the so-called 'global approach' and the dependence of the Nine on migrant labour are examined. But the main emphasis is on the impact which this relationship has on the economic development of the Mediterranean countries themselves. Consequently, the books sheds light on a question which has received scant attention in the literature on international trade, namely, what are the effects of association and trade preference agreements between countries which are at different stages of their economic development?

The June 1967 war was a watershed in the history of the modern Middle East. In six days, the Israelis defeated the Egyptian, Syrian and Jordanian armies, seizing large portions of their territories. Two veteran scholars of the Middle East bring together some of the most knowledgeable experts in their fields to reassess the origins and the legacies of the war. Each chapter takes a different perspective from the vantage point of a different participant, those that actually took part in the war and also the world powers that played important roles behind the scenes. Their conclusions make for sober reading. At the heart of the story was the incompetence of the Egyptian leadership and the rivalry between various Arab players who were deeply suspicious of each other's motives. Israel, on the other side, gained a resounding victory for which, despite previous assessments to the contrary, there was no master plan.

The 1948 war led to the creation of the state of Israel, the fragmentation of Palestine, and to a conflict which has raged across the intervening sixty years. The historical debate likewise continues and these debates are encapsulated in the second edition of The War for Palestine, updated to include chapters on Saudi Arabia and Lebanon. In a preface to this edition, the editors survey the state of scholarship in this contested field. The impact of these debates goes well beyond academia. There is an important link between the state of Arab-Israeli relations and popular attitudes towards the past. A more complex and fair-minded understanding of that past is essential for preserving at least the prospect of reconciliation between Arabs and Israel in the future. The rewriting of the history of 1948 thus remains a practical as well as an academic imperative.

The 1948 war led to the creation of the state of Israel, the fragmentation of Palestine, and to a conflict which has raged across the intervening sixty years. The historical debate likewise continues and these debates are encapsulated in the second edition of The War for Palestine, updated to include chapters on Saudi Arabia and Lebanon. In a preface to this edition, the editors survey the state of scholarship in this contested field. The impact of these debates goes well beyond academia. There is an important link between the state of Arab-Israeli relations and popular attitudes towards the past. A more complex and fair-minded understanding of that past is essential for preserving at least the prospect of reconciliation between Arabs and Israel in the future. The rewriting of the history of 1948 thus remains a practical as well as an academic imperative.

The June 1967 war was a watershed in the history of the modern Middle East. In six days, the Israelis defeated the Egyptian, Syrian and Jordanian armies, seizing large portions of their territories. Two veteran scholars of the Middle East bring together some of the most knowledgeable experts in their fields to reassess the origins and the legacies of the war. Each chapter takes a different perspective from the vantage point of a different participant, those that actually took part in the war and also the world powers that played important roles behind the scenes. Their conclusions make for sober reading. At the heart of the story was the incompetence of the Egyptian leadership and the rivalry between various Arab players who were deeply suspicious of each other's motives. Israel, on the other side, gained a resounding victory for which, despite previous assessments to the contrary, there was no master plan.

The brutal war launched by Israel on the Gaza Strip in in response to the Hamas attack of 7 October 2023, or Operations Swords of Iron to give it its official name, was a major landmark in the blood-soaked history of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. This was the eighth Israeli military offensive in Gaza since Operation Cast Lead of December 2008. It was also the most savage, destructive, and lethal attack with a death toll that exceeded by far the combined total of the previous seven offensives. In this book Avi Shlaim places Israel’s policy towards the Gaza Strip under an uncompromising lens. He argues that these recurrent attacks – what Israeli generals chillingly call “mowing the lawn” – are the inevitable result of Zionist settler colonialism whose basic objective is the elimination of the native population.

With characteristic rigor and readability, Avi Shlaim reflects on a range of key issues, transformations and personalities in the Israel-Palestine conflict. From the 1917 Balfour Declaration to the 2008 invasion of Gaza, Israel and Palestine places current events in their proper historical perspective, and assesses the impact of key political and intellectual figures, including Yasir Arafat and Ariel Sharon, Edward Said and Benny Morris. It also re-examines the United States' influential role in the conflict, and explores the many missed opportunities for peace and progress. Clear-eyed and meticulous, Israel and Palestine is an essential tool for understanding the fractured history and future prospects of the region.