AVI SHLAIM

Este libro es la historia personal de un joven judío-iraquí contada por un historiador profesional. Relata mis primeros años hasta cumplir los dieciocho, en Irak, Israel e Inglaterra, pero desde el punto de vista de un analista del conflicto arabe-israeli. Virginia Woolf observo que muchas memorias fracasan porque "no tienen en cuenta a la persona a quien le ocurren las cosas". En estas memorias, el niño sensible y el adolescente atribulado ocupan el centro de la historia, pero el contexto del drama lo proporciona el academico maduro. Mi experiencia personal sirve para ilustrar y contextualizar una historia que va mucho mas alla: la historia del exodo judio de Irak tras el establecimiento del Estado de Israel en 1948. El resultado es un retrato autobiografico, una historia familiar y, tal vez, una vision del vasto y olvidado mundo de la comunidad judeo-iraqui.

Durante la segunda década del siglo pasado, la línea dura del sionismo desarrolló la doctrina del "Muro de Hierro": las negociaciones con los árabes deberían plantearse desde una posición de fuerza militar. Esta doctrina, según Avi Shlaim, se convirtió en el eje central de la política de Israel; los disidentes fueron marginados y se perdieron muchas oportunidades de paz. Partiendo de numerosos datos nuevos y entrevistas con los principales actores del conflicto, Shlaim analiza las acciones militares y políticas de Israel con gran rigor. El resultado es este documentado relato sobre uno de los más trágicos conflictos de nuestra época. Lo sucedido en los últimos tiempos da la razón a aquellos que dicen que esta situación parece no tener fin debido a la intransigencia israelí. La segunda edición que ahora ve la luz incorpora más de cien nuevas páginas y, sobre todo, su análisis de la situación en Oriente Medio está actualizado con una serie de artículos, inéditos en español.

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 STATESMANBOOK OF THE YEAR 2023A NOVARA BEST BOOK OF 2024A beautifully written book which artfully blends the personal with the political. Justin Marozzi, SPECTATORThree 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

For most of his long reign (1953-1999) 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. This is the first major account of his life and reign, written with access to many of his surviving papers, with the co-operation (but not approval) of his family and staff, and extensive interviews with policy-makers of many different nationalities.

Avi Shlaims 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 Israels 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 Israels 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 TelegraphAnyone wanting to understand the modern Middle East should start by reading this elegantly written and scrupulously researched book Trevor Royle, Sunday HeraldA milestone in modern scholarship of the Middle East Edward SaidFascinating ... 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. Antonys College, Oxford. His previous books include Collusion Across the Jordan (1988) and War and Peace in the Middle East (1995).

A unique coming of age story from the lost world of Arab Jews