In a world where racial, political and religious hatreds are rife, Sir Mark Allen bridges gaps by describing the Arabs as people. His balanced judgements and clear style tell the reader about the psychology and world view of Arabs today. The noise about the Arabs has been getting louder. In the past fifteen years, outsiders have twice sent armies to war in the Middle East. The disaster of September 11th precipitated the War on Terror. Globalisation and migration are bringing the problems of the region closer. Yet we seem to know little about the Arabs as people. This book acknowledges the many different identities within the Arab world, but draws out four themes - which have given the Arabs a sense of being a people together. Family, Religion and Arabism set values for which the Arabs have shown they are ready to fight. The fourth, their common experience of political power, explains much about the need for reform in the Middle East and why it is so elusive. This book should be very widely read and studied. Its significant message is that we in the West need to up our understanding of the Arabs.
Success in our relations with our neighbours in the Arab world will need the effort of understanding what is important to them. Sir Mark Allen retired from the Foreign Service in 2004. His knowledge of the Middle East and the Arab world today is exceptional.