The Tail Wags the Dog: International Politics and the Middle East

Karsh (emeritus, Middle East & Mediterranean studies, King's Coll. London, UK; political studies, Bar-Ilan Univ., Israel; Islamic Imperialism; Empires of the Sand) is a well-noted critic of the "New Historians," the Israeli historians who emerged in the 1990s to question the traditionalist view emphasizing Palestinian accountability for the outcome of events during the Arab-Israeli conflict. In this book, which expands upon the thesis of Empires of the Sand, Karsh argues that the Arab world hasn't been as passive an agent in Israel's fate, nor has it been as controlled by Western powers as these other interpretations suggest. The focus is mainly on events during and since the Cold War; Karsh cites as examples the Jimmy Carter administration's failure to prevent the overthrow of the Shah of Iran in 1979 and the Soviet Union's misadventures in the Middle East. The book is brief, thus it offers a compact view of the traditionalist perspective on Middle Eastern geopolitics up to today. Karsh is a controversial figure, and his earlier work has evoked vituperative criticism from other distinguished scholars, including Benny Morris, founder of the New Historians.