Review: The Mess they Made

Abstract

THE MESS THEY MADE The Middle East After Gwynne Dyer Toronto: McClelland & Stewart, 2007. 267pp, $21.99 paper (ISBN 0771029802)Gwynne Dyer, a journalist and columnist, attempts to analyze all prominent issues and actors in current state of affairs in Middle East and makes future predictions about (Iraq in particular). More than half of Dyer's book is dedicated to an analysis of in one way or another. The reasons that George W. Bush administration invaded Iraq, political and security situation in Iraq, future of Iraq, and impact of war on Iran's policy are discussed in separate chapters that are short but free of repetition. The remaining chapters address other major issues in Middle East, including radical Islamist terrorism, Iran's nuclear policy, Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and post-Taliban Afghanistan. These latter chapters are more informative than former ones, although experts on Middle East will find little original analysis and many debatable points.The basic premise of book on is that Bush administration (they) has created a mess in country and lost war. The surge (a pathetic escalation) is not working and is unlikely to work (87). As a result, author predicts that United States will leave immediately after end of Bushs term because of the implosion of public opposition to war. In author's view, a US withdrawal from will be largely a positive development for Iraq-in long term at least-because presence of America is root cause of postwar difficulties in country.What this implies for larger Middle East is not clear in book. Dyer argues that declining US influence in Middle East following its anticipated withdrawal from coupled with the by destruction of Iraq will upset status quo in (2). Nowhere in book, however, are the unleashed by war specified. It is not Shi'ite because author argues that such a revival is largely exaggerated. It is not Islamist extremism and terrorism it breeds because they are not immediate consequences of war but responses to a century of foreign domination and manipulation of region (3). It is certainly not democratic forces in Arab countries which are either weak or virtually absent.Equally problematic is fact that author does not substantiate his alarmist description of Middle East since US invasion of Iraq. He writes in introduction that Everything is now up for grabs [in Middle East]: regimes, ethnic pecking orders within states, even 1918 borders themselves might change (2). In fact, in rest of book, such a picture does not emerge. Aside from prospect of an independent Iraqi Kurdistan and an Islamicized Iraq, author fails to tell us which regimes and pecking orders are likely to change. …