
Fractured Lands
How the Arab World Came Apart
Scott Anderson(Author)
Picador (Publisher)
Book
Paperback/Softback
160 pages
978-1-5098-5271-0 (ISBN)
Description
In 2011, a series of anti-government uprisings shook the Middle East and North Africa in what would become known as the Arab Spring. Few could predict that these convulsions, initially hailed in the West as a triumph of democracy, would give way to brutal civil war, the terrors of the Islamic State, and a global refugee crisis. But, as New York Times bestselling author Scott Anderson shows, the seeds of catastrophe had been sown long before.
In this gripping account, Anderson examines the myriad complex causes of the region's profound unraveling, tracing the ideological conflicts of the present to their origins in the United States invasion of Iraq in 2003 and beyond. From this investigation emerges a rare view into a land in upheaval through the eyes of six individuals-the matriarch of a dissident Egyptian family; a Libyan Air Force cadet with divided loyalties; a Kurdish physician from a prominent warrior clan; a Syrian university student caught in civil war; an Iraqi activist for women's rights; and an Iraqi day laborer-turned-ISIS fighter. A probing and insightful work of reportage, Fractured Lands offers a penetrating portrait of the contemporary Arab world and brings the stunning realities of an unprecedented geopolitical tragedy into crystalline focus.
In this gripping account, Anderson examines the myriad complex causes of the region's profound unraveling, tracing the ideological conflicts of the present to their origins in the United States invasion of Iraq in 2003 and beyond. From this investigation emerges a rare view into a land in upheaval through the eyes of six individuals-the matriarch of a dissident Egyptian family; a Libyan Air Force cadet with divided loyalties; a Kurdish physician from a prominent warrior clan; a Syrian university student caught in civil war; an Iraqi activist for women's rights; and an Iraqi day laborer-turned-ISIS fighter. A probing and insightful work of reportage, Fractured Lands offers a penetrating portrait of the contemporary Arab world and brings the stunning realities of an unprecedented geopolitical tragedy into crystalline focus.
Reviews / Votes
It's tempting to turn our backs on the endless violence and hopelessness that consumes several key Arab states, Iraq and Syria in particular. Anderson's compelling profiles of the courageous and confused people trying to survive in harrowing times, and his insights into the tragic consequences of decisions by leaders in the region and outside, draw us back in. * World Politics Review * A major contribution. * Huffington Post * [An] epic piece. . . . Remarkable. * Democracy Now! * Fascinating . . . Masterly -- Sir Max Hastings, Sunday Times on Lawrence in Arabia Tremendous . . . A masterpiece -- Jan Morris, Daily Telegraph on Lawrence in Arabia Magisterial -- Amir Taheri, The Times on Lawrence in Arabia Fascinating . . . Illuminating -- New York Times on Lawrence in Arabia Gripping . . . brilliant -- William Dalrymple, New Statesman on Lawrence in Arabia Engrossing, thoughtful and intrictate -- Alex von Tunzelmann, New York Times Book Review on Lawrence in Arabia Compelling -- Washington Post on Lawrence in Arabia Thrilling -- Boston Globe on Lawrence in ArabiaMore details
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Pan Macmillan
Product notice
Paperback (UK-B)
Dimensions
Height: 197 mm
Width: 130 mm
ISBN-13
978-1-5098-5271-0 (9781509852710)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

E-Book
05/2017
Picador
€10.99
Available for download
Person
Scott Anderson is a veteran war correspondent who has reported from Lebanon, Israel, Egypt, Northern Ireland, Chechnya, Sudan, Bosnia, El Salvador and many other war-torn countries. His previous book, Lawrence in Arabia, was a New York Times and Sunday Times bestseller, and was shortlisted for the US National Book Critics Circle Award for Biography.