shinymensch's review against another edition
5.0
One of the best books I have read concerning the corps of diplomats that actually have lived for many years among Arab populations and speak their languages. A tale of past Missionaries and the dynamics of change not just in the countries they inhabit but among the Arabist's themselves.
raehink's review
3.0
"Arabists" are diplomats, intelligence agents, scholars, adventurers, missionaries and military attaches serving in the Middle East. They were an elite group in the 19th-century. Kaplan contrasts their views of the Arab world with today's opinions...especially as they relate to Iraq and Saddam Hussein. Some of the writing in this book was dry, but I learned so much that I am glad I stuck with it.
More...