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Saïd K. Aburish
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A Brutal Friendship: The West and The Arab Elite Paperback – July 15, 1998

by Said K. Aburish (Author)
4.8 4.8 out of 5 stars 13 ratings
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In A Brutal Friendship, Said K. Aburish traces the true origins of the region`s present turmoil to the manner in which corrupt Arab rulers have subordinated the welfare of their subjects to their cultivation of cozy relationships with the West. Using direct evidence from his unrivaled range of Arab sources, he describes how the West -- mostly the CIA -- sponsored Islamic fundamentalism in the 1950s and `60s in an effort to contain Nasser and thwart Soviet designs on the region, how American and British leaders have turned a blind eye to repressive governments when they suit their interests (and toppled them when they do not), and how it is these very machinations that set Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein on his bloody road to power.
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  1. Print length
    416 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    St. Martin's Griffin
  4. Publication date
    July 15, 1998
  5. Dimensions
    6.5 x 1.25 x 9.5 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    0312302088
  7. ISBN-13
    978-0312302085
  8. See all details
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Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ St. Martin's Griffin; First American edition (July 15, 1998)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 416 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0312302088
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0312302085
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.35 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.5 x 1.25 x 9.5 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.8 4.8 out of 5 stars 13 ratings

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Saïd K. Aburish

Saïd K. Aburish
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Customer reviews

4.8 out of 5 stars
4.8 out of 5
13 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Suhair A
5.0 out of 5 stars Highly recommend
Reviewed in the United States on May 17, 2020
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As relevant now as when it was written. Easy read
One person found this helpful
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A reader from the DMV
4.0 out of 5 stars Good Overview______With a major blind spot!
Reviewed in the United States on December 4, 2001
Aburish provides a good survey of the political history of Arab regimes for much of the 20th century. He provides good detail in particular on various frivolous interventions by the British and Americans. One can see some of the real historical basis of Arab paranoia against the west in these pages. At the same time, the worldview Aburish is illustrating has some major hollowness in it. He goes on ad infinitum about how the US and Britain are always thwarting the genuine ambitions of the Arab masses, and any genuine political reform. Yet what are the major goals he is championing? Democracy? Minority rights? Economic social justice? Transparency and accountability in government?
Nope, Aburish doesn't say word one about these things, apparently to him and the Arab masses, the only genuine ambition, the only goal of any political reform, is to allow Arab states to fully express the hatred their people have of the West and Israel. This seems to be the sole criterion he is using to measure an Arab regime's authenticity.
If that's what the Arab people's want, that's fine. But what's in it for the western reader, who actually stops a minute to think about what kind of world they want to live in? NOTHING. It was foolish for Aburish to even write this book in english if he intends it to influence western policies. Westerners who read this and who care at all about the well-being of their own societies, will probably come around to support Daniel Pipes positions on the Middle East, will have less faith in an understanding between civilizations, and will conclude, quite contrarily to Mr. Aburish's intent, that it is only by backing these regimes through cynical short-term meneuvers, that the west can protect itself against the fury that would surely come out of a democratized Arab world.
16 people found this helpful
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Kevin
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in the United States on July 2, 2015
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Great book!
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rocketman
5.0 out of 5 stars Prophetic
Reviewed in the United States on February 25, 2002
Post 9/11 and during the infancy of the 'interim government' in Afghanistan we can see two major points of this book illustrated succinctly.
Firstly, the colonisation of the old Ottaman Empire awarding local rule to gangs and ascribing them legitimacy based on some flimsy genealogical or religious claim is being duplicated almost exactly in Afghanistan over 80 years later by picking leaders from the representatives of the politically-correct-sounding 'ethnic groups'.
Rather more urgently for us (the West), the massive destruction visited upon the World Trade Center and the Pentagon may well be the beginning of 'the fire', the whole-scale clash of civilisations bred from the total dissatisfaction of an Arab majority who feel entirely unrepresented by what they see as Western backed dictatorships. 15 Saudis out of 19 hijackers looks like more than a coincidence and despite almost uniform condemnation throughout the 'Arab World' (well the leaders of it anyway) of the attack, Osama Bin Laden and his top men are hiding somewhere. Add to this the Arab governments' (understandable) unease about any US plans to attack Iraq (without the right provocation this time), popular Arab despair about any possibility of peace between the Palestinians and Israel, the effective fusing of Palestinian secular groups with their Islamist 'enemies' and you have a Middle East ready to completely explode. Let's see what happens dudes!
10 people found this helpful
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Tauseef Tariq
5.0 out of 5 stars History is indeed a great teacher.
Reviewed in the United States on May 1, 2004
This is a damning expose of the relationship between the pro-west governments/establishments of the middle east and the west. Anyone who wants to understand the dynamics of this region must read this book. Although it is a couple of years old, it still heavily bears on the current situation on the ground.
Furthermore, for a scholarly work it is an incredibly easy read.
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Seth J. Frantzman
4.0 out of 5 stars A good book, with several cliches
Reviewed in the United States on April 16, 2004
This book seeks to critique the west for its support of Arab regimes who have frequently abused human rights. Aburish draws a parallel between American support for radical Islamic fundamentalists and minority leaders against the `masses' who would have selected someone else. Several nations are picked out for criticism among them Lebanon's Maronites, Syria's Alewite Asad, Saudis Wahabis, Iraq's Sunni Saddam and Jordan's King Hussien and even Arafat. While true that all these leaders were corrupt and probably didn't have the average Arab in his best interest it is a cliché to simply blame the west.
The reality is the House of Saud established itself, without western support, in the 1920s. The Jordanian Hashemite King was installed by the British but the majority of Jordanians are Palestinians. Is the argument that Jordan should become a Palestinian state? Wouldn't this mean that the Palestinians would no longer be able to complain that they were `stateless' and `refugees'? Although the Sunni's of Iraq are the minority it was Sunni wealth and traditions of governance that brought them, rather then the mountain Kurds or `Swamp' Shia Arabs to power. The West actually supported King Faisal in Iraq only to see him overthrown by the Sunni Ba'athists. In Lebanon it is true the West supported the Maronites but it is also true the west abandoned the Maronites during the Lebanese Civil War. In Syria the west played almost no role in putting Asad, an Alewite, into power. And the west certainly played no role in choosing Arafat as leader of the PLO.
So this book is a wonderful study. The character assassinations and descriptions of fumbling, barbaric Arab leaders and strongmen is refreshing from the usual hum-drum academic works on these regimes. The text is lively and fast paced, but unlike most Aburish books, the critiques have been heard before and most of them don't entirely stand up to scrutiny. In the end the West did support Saddam and the Saudis, but this was only after most of these strongmen had already put themselves into power, rather then the west conspiring to suppress the Arab majorities. With the obvious exception of Jordan's King Hussien, who actually runs one of the more free and open Arab countries, so in reality the west has helped those Arab masses. Also not touched on is the fact that the Western support for Islamic fundamentalism against communism has recently backfired in the rise of Osama and anti-western fundamentalism. Here the book shows that it is outdated. And probably the book is also flawed in not acknowledging that the west cleared retreated and failed to install its leaders in Lebanon, despite intervention in the 50s and 80s.
Seth J. Frantzman
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Top reviews from other countries

RM
5.0 out of 5 stars Does the West really support democracy and freedom?
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 1, 2004
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Aburish has demonstrated conclusively and eloquently the relationship between the Arab monarchies and the West. The West (especially Bush) constantly blabbers and lies about how he supports "freedom" and "democracy" yet we do not see a glimpse of that in the Middle East. Almost every single country in the Middle East has governments which were installed by the West at the beginning of the 20th century and which all have artificial borders, drawn up by the French and British after the First World War.
It goes like this: the monarchies require Western support and military supplies to stay in power and the West require "friendly" regimes that will supply them with cheap oil and not question their foreign policies. The wishes of the common Arabs do not enter into the equation. There are some very humourous parts to Aburish's book, which provide a nice touch.
So, it appears as if the West are only concerned about "freedom" and "democracy" when they do not conflict with their own interests....
10 people found this helpful
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Gareth Smyth
4.0 out of 5 stars Engaging - summarises and introduces Aburish's other work
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 20, 2003
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This excellent book summarises the ideas and explanations in Mr Aburish's books about Iraq, the Palestinians and the House of Saud. It also takes up in more comprehensive terms his examination of the role by the western powers, especially the United States, in sustaining the current status quo in the Middle East.
Aburish's attractive style makes 'A Brutal Friendship' suitable for keen readers with little knowledge of the region, but his intelligence, experience and open-mindedness means that he can also engage those more familiar with what remains the world's main set of flashpoints.
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