The Great War for Civilisation: The Conquest of the Middle East

Having declined both Osama bin Laden’s offer to “recruit” him in 1997 and Lebanese Prime Minister Rafic Hariri’s offer of medical aid after a severe beating for being a Westerner in Afghanistan in 2001, Robert Fisk has earned some unique credentials. Fisk’s epic, scrupulous and often long-winded account of modern Middle Eastern socio-politics posits that whether it’s the Great War his father knew or the plights of the Palestinians, Lebanese and Armenians, every war is one of cultural preservation—and of futility. Fisk is a one-man nongovernmental organization—a witness bearer, unveiling through firsthand accounts what most of the world will never experience. He puts colonialism in a context that is readily understandable and transcends the anti-war paradigm.