The Arabist

The Arabist

By Issandr El Amrani and friends.

Rodenbeck on Oren

Max Rodenbeck reviews Michael Oren's "Power, Faith, and Fantasy: America in the Middle East: 1776 to the Present," finding it full of interesting anecdotes and well-researched but subtly biased in favor of both Israel and "America’s self-image as an innocent among Middle Eastern sharks."

Some readers may remember that Oren, who holds Israeli citizenship and has served in the Israeli military, has been the subject of some controversy in US academic circles not only for being pro-Israel but also its vocal defender in the public arena. His previous book, "Six Days of War: June 1967 and the Making of the Modern Middle East," was lambasted by Norman Finkelstein for its apologetics.