Best of Enemies: A History of US and Middle East Relations: Part Three: 1984-2013

In the third volume of their graphic history of US and Middle East relations, Jean-Pierre Filiu and David B. cover the tumultuous period that began with Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait in 1990 and ended with Obama’s decision, in 2013, not to intervene in Syria. Taking in the First Gulf War, the rise of al-Qaeda, the military response to the September 11 attacks and the present conflict in Syria, Best of Enemies: Part Three is propelled by a clash between four US presidents and their Middle Eastern antagonists: on the one hand, George H. W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama; on the other, Saddam Hussein, Osama bin Laden and Bashar al-Assad. Covering thirty years of conflict and diplomacy, Best of Enemies: Part Three is a breezy and engaging guide to the events that shaped our current politics, from the rise of populism and the so-called Islamic State to the global refugee crisis.

Best of Enemies is surely destined to stand alongside Marjane Satrapi’s Persepolis as a graphic history of the Middle East. A must read for anyone interested in learning, or teaching, about the region. Mark Levine, Professor of History UC-Irvine and the author of Heavy Metal Islam