Upheavals in the Middle East

[This book includes a] high quality of...research that offers a new way to look at the Middle Eastern revolutions of the twentieth century and provides valuable insights to understand a region that remains problematic and fascinating like no others. * ASMEA: Association for the Study of the Middle East and Africa *
Prof. Cohen makes an excellent argument as to why revolutions throughout the Muslim world have failed. He provides detailed and fascinating insights into the forces behind these upheavals, which demonstrate how different these events are from similar events which take in the West. An excellent read. -- Harold Rhode, Advisor of Islamic Affairs, Office of the US Secretary of Defense (retired)
This book will add to the scientific understanding of the hugely complicated process of political change in the Middle East and beyond. Such understanding is especially crucial as the 'Arab Spring'—launched with a promise to introduce democracy to the region—has produced fragile political systems at best and bloody struggles at worst. Cohen’s scholarship is impeccable, his research careful, and the amount of sources he consults is impressive. There are numerous books on political change in the Middle East and/or Islam, but this is the only work that tries to provide a systematic way to understand the issue. -- Ofira Seliktar, Gratz College