I just finished Gelvin’s new book, The New Middle East. This brief treatise is a must for all who try to keep up with the Middle East.

It is, in many ways, a sad book, because the outcome frankly seems hopeless. And I agree with the facts and most of his conclusions.

A couple of brief examples suffice. First, the educational system in the Middles East. Gelvin correctly notes that the teaching system in the area fails to emphasize critical thinking. Most of the time is spent on rote memory and repetition. This observation comports with my experience in teaching medical students. They were quite familiar with the textbooks and lecture notes. But when faced with a patient where integration of facts and principles was required, they consistently had trouble reaching a useful synthesis.

Another obvious area is the fact that women are second class citizens. Even in the best circumstance, women are not fully engaged in the betterment of their society, and this is not their fault. They are not allowed to participate as are the men. The obvious consequence is that the states in the Middle East automatically sacrifice nearly half of their possible productivity.

Gelvin’s little book is clear and beautifully written.  The readability is enhanced by his use of a question and answer format.