The Cauldron: The Making of the Modern Middle East (original) Simon Sebag Montefiore

Renowned historian Simon Sebag Montefiore wades into the ideological battles and geopolitical tensions of the Middle East, with a poignant That to fathom the present, we must look to the past—to the last one hundred and twenty-five years that forged the Middle East in the wake of World War I and the consequences of colonial design on people of unique religions, ethnicities, and ideologies.

The Cauldron is a survey of the region’s complexity, richness, and cosmopolitanism through nineteen countries from the Atlantic to the Gulf, Morocco to Iran, and everything in between. It covers the emergence of modern-day Egypt and the formation of Israel, the rise of an independent Syria, and the perpetual conflict over land in Palestine. Montefiore brings to life a cast of titans and tyrants who clash in the tournament for power. Victories are bloody, but no one wins for crowns and kingdoms, cities and regimes rise and fall.