Book Reviews

Summer 2026 Book Reviews
Book Reviews
The War That Made the Middle East: World War I and the End of the Ottoman Empire
By Mustafa Aksakal. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 2026. 264 pp.; $26.66 (hardcover); $17.60 (Kindle)

Book Review by Efraim Karsh
June 1, 2026
Book Reviews
Late Ottoman Gaza: An Eastern Mediterranean Hub in Transformation
By Yuval Ben-Bassat and Johann Büssow. London: Cambridge University Press, 2024. 206 pp.; $88.36 (hardcover); $110 (e-book)

Book Review by Donna Robinson Divine

June 1, 2026
Book Reviews
Syria, Revolt and War in the Digital Age. Edited by Cécile Boëx and Agnès Devictor
Translated by Jane Kuntz. Cairo: American University in Cairo Press, 2025. 282 pp.; $89.95 (hardcover)

Book Review by Daniel Pipes
June 1, 2026
Book Reviews
Islam, Israel and the West: A Former Muslim’s Analysis
By Danny Burmawi. N.P.: Gerasa Books, 2025. 252 pp.; $19.99 (hardcover); $16.99 (paperback); $9.99 (Kindle)

Book Review by Dexter Van Zile
June 1, 2026
Book Reviews
Syria: Civil War to Holy War?
By Charles Glass. New York: OR Books, 2025. 294 pp.; $17.01 (paperback); $9.99 (Kindle)

Book Review by Jonathan Spyer
June 1, 2026
Book Reviews
Israel Under Netanyahu: Populism and Democratic Decline
By Neta Oren. Boulder, CO: Lynne Rienner, 2025. 169 pp.; $95 (hardcover); $95 (e-book)

Book Review by Martin Sherman
June 1, 2026
Book Reviews
Frequencies of Deceit: How Global Propaganda Wars Shaped the Middle East
By Margaret Peacock. Oakland, CA: University of California Press, 2025. 326 pp.; $82.75 (hardcover); $29.95 (paperback); $28.45 (Kindle)

Reviewed by Jeffrey Herf
June 1, 2026
Book Reviews
Call at 4 AM: Thirteen Prime Ministers and the Crucial Decisions that Shaped Israeli Politics
By Amit Segal. New York: Wicked Son, 2025. 248 pp.; $23.41 (hardcover); $14.99 (Kindle)

Reviewed by Alex Selsky
June 1, 2026
Book Reviews
Hostage
By Eli Sharabi. Translated by Eylon Levy. New York: Harper Influence, 2025. 208 pp.; $20.74 (hardcover); $14.99 (Kindle)

Book Review by A. J. Caschetta
June 1, 2026
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Turkey’s ‘Blue Homeland’ Doctrine Begins with Illegal Fishing
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Middle East Forum Online
Palestinian Culture, Part 1: Origins
The Palestinian Identity Was Formulated to Counter the Zionist Identity, and It Did So by Imitation
August 6, 2026
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A.J. Caschetta
It was a triumphant moment for the Trump administration when, letter by letter, workers removed the sign reading “U.S. Agency for International Development” from the pale limestone facade of the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center in Washington, D.C., shown above on March 13, 2025, after the signage’s removal the previous month.
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Trump Killed USAID. Don’t Let Its Hamas-Hunting Watchdog Die with It
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August 6, 2026
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Benjamin Baird