{"title":"Kenneth Pollack","description":null,"products":[{"product_id":"persian-puzzle-book-kenneth-pollack-9781400063154","title":"The Persian Puzzle","description":"In his highly influential book \u003ci\u003eThe Threatening Storm\u003c\/i\u003e, bestselling author Kenneth Pollack both informed and defined the national debate about Iraq. Now, in \u003ci\u003eThe Persian Puzzle\u003c\/i\u003e, published to coincide with the twenty-fifth anniversary of the Iran hostage crisis, he examines the behind-the-scenes story of the tumultuous relationship between Iran and the United States, and weighs options for the future. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eHere Pollack, a former CIA analyst and National Security Council official, brings his keen analysis and insider perspective to the long and ongoing clash between the United States and Iran, beginning with the fall of the shah and the seizure of the American embassy in Tehran in 1979. Pollack examines all the major events in U.S.-Iran relations-including the hostage crisis, the U.S. tilt toward Iraq during the Iran-Iraq war, the Iran-Contra scandal, American-Iranian military tensions in 1987 and 1988, the covert Iranian war against U.S. interests in the Persian Gulf that culminated in the 1996 Khobar Towers terrorist attack in Saudi Arabia, and recent U.S.-Iran skirmishes over Afghanistan and Iraq. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eHe explains the strategies and motives from American and Iranian perspectives and tells how each crisis colored the thinking of both countries' leadership as they shaped and reshaped their policies over time. Pollack also describes efforts by moderates of various stripes to try to find some way past animosities to create a new dynamic in Iranian-American relations, only to find that when one side was ready for such a step, the other side fell short. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eWith balanced tone and insight, Pollack explains how the United States and Iran reached this impasse; why this relationship is critical to regional, global, and U.S. interests; and what basic political choices are available as we deal with this important but deeply troubled country.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49539004989713,"sku":"GOR002717402","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"US \/ VERY_GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":50404744724753,"sku":"CIN1400063159VG","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"US \/ GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":51416883593489,"sku":"CIN1400063159G","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/1400063159.jpg?v=1751426273"},{"product_id":"armies-of-sand-book-kenneth-pollack-9780190906962","title":"Armies of Sand","description":"Since World War II, Arab armed forces have consistently punched below their weight--they have lost many wars that by all rights they should have won, and in their best performances only ever achieved quite modest accomplishments. Over time, soldiers, scholars, and military experts have offered various explanations for this pattern. Reliance on Soviet military methods, the poor civil-military relations of the Arab world, the underdevelopment of the Arab states, and patterns of behavior derived from the wider Arab culture, have all been suggested as the ultimate source of Arab military difficulties.   Armies of Sand, powerful and riveting history of Arab armies from the end of World War Two to the present, assesses these differing explanations and isolates the most important causes. Over the course of the book, he examines the combat performance of fifteen Arab armies and air forces in virtually every Middle Eastern war, from the Jordanians and Syrians in 1948 to Hizballah in 2006 and the Iraqis and ISIS in 2014-2017. He then compares these experiences to the performance of the Argentine, Chadian, Chinese, Cuban, North Korean, and South Vietnamese armed forces in their own combat operations during the twentieth century. The book ultimately concludes that reliance on Soviet doctrine was more of a help than a hindrance to the Arabs. In contrast, politicization and underdevelopment were both important factors limiting Arab military effectiveness, but patterns of behavior derived from the dominant Arab culture was the most important factor of all. Pollack closes with a discussion of the rapid changes occurring across the Arab world-political, economic, and cultural-as well as the rapid evolution in war making as a result of the information revolution. He suggests that because both Arab society and warfare are changing, the problems that have bedeviled Arab armed forces in the past could dissipate or even vanish in the future, with potentially dramatic consequences for the Middle East military balance. Sweeping in its historical coverage and highly accessible, this will be the go-to reference for anyone interested in the history of warfare in the Middle East since 1945.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ NEW \/ GARDNERS","offer_id":49726876123409,"sku":"NGR9780190906962","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"US \/ GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":50235212005649,"sku":"CIN0190906960G","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ LIKE_NEW \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":50781273948433,"sku":"GOR010914759","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"US \/ NEW \/ INGRAM","offer_id":50999675224337,"sku":"NIN9780190906962","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":51497325625617,"sku":"GOR009702126","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"US \/ VERY_GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":53400027758865,"sku":"CIN0190906960VG","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/0190906960.jpg?v=1751433916"},{"product_id":"persian-puzzle-book-kenneth-pollack-9780812973365","title":"The Persian Puzzle","description":"In his highly influential book \u003ci\u003eThe Threatening Storm\u003c\/i\u003e, bestselling author Kenneth Pollack both informed and defined the national debate about Iraq. Now, in \u003ci\u003eThe Persian Puzzle\u003c\/i\u003e, published to coincide with the twenty-fifth anniversary of the Iran hostage crisis, he examines the behind-the-scenes story of the tumultuous relationship between Iran and the United States, and weighs options for the future.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e Here Pollack, a former CIA analyst and National Security Council official, brings his keen analysis and insider perspective to the long and ongoing clash between the United States and Iran, beginning with the fall of the shah and the seizure of the American embassy in Tehran in 1979. Pollack examines all the major events in U.S.-Iran relations-including the hostage crisis, the U.S. tilt toward Iraq during the Iran-Iraq war, the Iran-Contra scandal, American-Iranian military tensions in 1987 and 1988, the covert Iranian war against U.S. interests in the Persian Gulf that culminated in the 1996 Khobar Towers terrorist attack in Saudi Arabia, and recent U.S.-Iran skirmishes over Afghanistan and Iraq.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e He explains the strategies and motives from American and Iranian perspectives and tells how each crisis colored the thinking of both countries' leadership as they shaped and reshaped their policies over time. Pollack also describes efforts by moderates of various stripes to try to find some way past animosities to create a new dynamic in Iranian-American relations, only to find that when one side was ready for such a step, the other side fell short.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e With balanced tone and insight, Pollack explains how the United States and Iran reached this impasse; why this relationship is critical to regional, global, and U.S. interests; and what basic political choices are available as we deal with this important but deeply troubled country.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"US \/ VERY_GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":49849762742545,"sku":"CIN0812973364VG","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":50109729079569,"sku":"GOR002057302","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"US \/ GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":50260017316113,"sku":"CIN0812973364G","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"US \/ WELL_READ \/ SBYB","offer_id":50368616202513,"sku":"CIN0812973364A","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"US \/ NEW \/ INGRAM","offer_id":51008013402385,"sku":"NIN9780812973365","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":51682147270929,"sku":"GOR004079944","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ NEW \/ INGRAM","offer_id":52589552337169,"sku":"NLS9780812973365","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/0812973364.jpg?v=1751201269"},{"product_id":"arabs-at-war-book-kenneth-m-pollack-9780803287839","title":"Arabs at War","description":"Kenneth M. Pollack, formerly a Persian Gulf military analyst at the CIA and Director for Persian Gulf Affairs at the National Security Council, describes and analyzes the military history of the six key Arab states-Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Libya, Saudi Arabia, and Syria-during the post-World War I era. He shows in detail how each Arab military grew and learned from its own experiences in response to the specific objectives set for it and within often constrained political, economic, and social circumstances. This first-ever overview of the modern Arab approach to warfare provides a better understanding of the capabilities and limitations of the Arab militaries, some of which are the United States' most likely adversaries, and some of which are our most important allies. Kenneth M. Pollack is Olin Senior Fellow and Deputy Director for National Security Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"US \/ GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":50093300711697,"sku":"CIN0803287836G","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"US \/ NEW \/ INGRAM","offer_id":51007415910673,"sku":"NIN9780803287839","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":51070801674513,"sku":"GOR008176868","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"US \/ VERY_GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":51804222325009,"sku":"CIN0803287836VG","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/0803287836.jpg?v=1782383382"},{"product_id":"unthinkable-book-kenneth-pollack-9781476733937","title":"Unthinkable","description":"\u003cb\u003eThe world's foremost expert on Middle Eastern relations explains Iran's current nuclear potential and what America can do about it: \"Engrossing...If Congress gets a vote on going to war with Iran, let's hope that this book is on everyone's reading lists\" (\u003ci\u003eThe Economist\u003c\/i\u003e).\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003eIn 2005, Kenneth Pollack's first book about foreign policy in Iran, \u003ci\u003eThe Persian\u003c\/i\u003e \u003ci\u003ePuzzle\u003c\/i\u003e, sparked a national conversation, laying out the possible options for nuclear deterrent in Iran.\u003c\/b\u003e But, despite the attention his solutions received, the world didn't follow his advice. Now, Iran is even closer to possessing nuclear weapons, and America will have to find a new path forward.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e In \u003ci\u003eUnthinkable,\u003c\/i\u003e a \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eEconomist\u003c\/i\u003e Best Book of 2013 Pollack explores the intractable American problem with Iran, and Tehran's pursuit of nuclear weapons capability. With the authority of his years as a CIA analyst and his time as the Director of Persian Gulf Affairs on the National Security Council, Pollack keenly examines the nature of the Iranian threat to American interests and the long-going clash that has led us to this point. Pollack explains and assesses the options for American policymakers: redoubling our efforts at a \"carrot-and-stick\" approach that combines negotiations and sanctions; aiding the Iranian opposition to bring about a popular form of regime change; an Israeli military strike; the American military option; and containing a nuclear Iran. Ultimately, Pollack argues for an assertive version of containment to maintain pressure on Tehran and minimize its ability to contribute to the problems of the Middle East by keeping it largely on the defensive.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e \"Learned, lucid, and deeply sobering\" (\u003ci\u003eKirkus Reviews\u003c\/i\u003e), Pollack has written one of the most important books on foreign policy in this decade.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"US \/ GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":50385420189969,"sku":"CIN1476733937G","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"US \/ VERY_GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":50385423859985,"sku":"CIN1476733937VG","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"US \/ NEW \/ INGRAM","offer_id":51028590166289,"sku":"NIN9781476733937","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/1476733937.jpg?v=1750827585"},{"product_id":"armies-of-sand-book-kenneth-pollack-9780197524640","title":"Armies of Sand","description":"Since the Second World War, Arab armed forces have consistently punched below their weight. They have lost many wars that by all rights they should have won, and in their best performances only ever achieved quite modest accomplishments. Over time, soldiers, scholars, and military experts have offered various explanations for this pattern. Reliance on Soviet military methods, the poor civil-military relations of the Arab world, the underdevelopment of the Arab states, and patterns of behavior derived from the wider Arab culture, have all been suggested as the ultimate source of Arab military difficulties. In Armies of Sand, Kenneth M. Pollack assesses these differing explanations and isolates the most important causes. Over the course of the book, he examines the combat performance of fifteen Arab armies and air forces in virtually every Middle Eastern war, from the Jordanians and Syrians in 1948 to Hizballah in 2006 and the Iraqis and ISIS in 2014-2017. The book ultimately concludes that reliance on Soviet doctrine was more of a help than a hindrance to the Arabs. In contrast, politicization and underdevelopment were both important factors limiting Arab military effectiveness, but patterns of behavior derived from the dominant Arab culture was the most important factor of all. Pollack closes with a discussion of the rapid changes occurring across the Arab world, and suggests that because both Arab society and warfare are changing, the problems that have bedeviled Arab armed forces in the past could dissipate or even vanish in the future, with potentially dramatic consequences for the Middle East military balance. Sweeping in its coverage, this will be the go-to reference for anyone interested in the history of warfare in the Middle East since 1945.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"- \/ - \/ -","offer_id":50999843062033,"sku":"","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"US \/ NEW \/ INGRAM","offer_id":50999845781777,"sku":"NIN9780197524640","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"US \/ GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":51804245197073,"sku":"CIN0197524648G","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ NEW \/ INGRAM","offer_id":52516056957201,"sku":"NLS9780197524640","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/0197524648.jpg?v=1776767214"},{"product_id":"unthinkable-book-kenneth-pollack-9781476733920","title":"Unthinkable","description":"\u003cb\u003eThe world's foremost expert on Middle Eastern relations explains Iran's current nuclear potential and what America can do about it: Engrossing.If Congress gets a vote on going to war with Iran, let's hope that this book is on everyone's reading lists (\u003ci\u003eThe Economist\u003c\/i\u003e).\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003eIn 2005, Kenneth Pollack's first book about foreign policy in Iran, \u003ci\u003eThe Persian \u003c\/i\u003e\u003ci\u003ePuzzle\u003c\/i\u003e, sparked a national conversation, laying out the possible options for nuclear deterrent in Iran.\u003c\/b\u003e But, despite the attention his solutions received, the world didn't follow his advice. Now, Iran is even closer to possessing nuclear weapons, and America will have to find a new path forward. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eIn \u003ci\u003eUnthinkable, \u003c\/i\u003ea \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eEconomist\u003c\/i\u003e Best Book of 2013 Pollack explores the intractable American problem with Iran, and Tehran's pursuit of nuclear weapons capability. With the authority of his years as a CIA analyst and his time as the Director of Persian Gulf Affairs on the National Security Council, Pollack keenly examines the nature of the Iranian threat to American interests and the long-going clash that has led us to this point. Pollack explains and assesses the options for American policymakers: redoubling our efforts at a carrot-and-stick approach that combines negotiations and sanctions; aiding the Iranian opposition to bring about a popular form of regime change; an Israeli military strike; the American military option; and containing a nuclear Iran. Ultimately, Pollack argues for an assertive version of containment to maintain pressure on Tehran and minimize its ability to contribute to the problems of the Middle East by keeping it largely on the defensive. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eLearned, lucid, and deeply sobering (\u003ci\u003eKirkus Reviews\u003c\/i\u003e), Pollack has written one of the most important books on foreign policy in this decade.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"- \/ - \/ -","offer_id":51898705772817,"sku":null,"price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"GB \/ GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":51898706297105,"sku":"GOR014453718","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"US \/ GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":52152719016209,"sku":"CIN1476733929G","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"US \/ VERY_GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":52815620014353,"sku":"CIN1476733929VG","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":52929743978769,"sku":"GOR009593267","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/9781476733920.jpg?v=1755009912"},{"product_id":"path-out-of-the-desert-book-kenneth-pollack-9780812976427","title":"A Path Out of the Desert","description":"The greatest danger to America's peace and prosperity, notes leading Middle East policy analyst Kenneth M. Pollack, lies in the political repression, economic stagnation, and cultural conflict running rampant in Arab and Muslim nations. Pollack asserts that we must continue to make the Middle East a priority in our policy, but in a humbler, more realistic, and more cohesive way. In his long-term strategy, Pollack suggests that America engage directly with the governments of the Middle East and indirectly with its people by means of cultural exchange, commerce, and other soft approaches. He carefully examines each of the region's most contested areas, as well as the Israeli-Palestinian peace process, and explains how the United States can address each through mutually reinforcing policies. At a time when the nation is facing critical decisions about our continued presence in Iraq and Afghanistan, \u003cb\u003eA Path Out of the Desert \u003c\/b\u003eis guaranteed to stimulate debate about America's humanitarian, diplomatic, and military involvement in the Middle East.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"US \/ VERY_GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":53651680755985,"sku":"CIN0812976428VG","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/9780812976427.jpg?v=1781215228"}],"url":"https:\/\/www.worldofbooks.com\/en-au\/collections\/author-books-by-kenneth-pollack.oembed","provider":"World of Books ","version":"1.0","type":"link"}