THE COMPLETE IDIOT'S GUIDE TO THE MIDDLE EAST CONFLICT

Mitchell Bard, PhD.

And you thought I was joking, didn't you? Let me ask you something, when you watch CNN or read Drudge Report online, how much of what they are reporting from Israel makes sense to you? Do you know the difference between a Muslim and a Jew? Do you know what the prophet Mohammed said about Jews in the Koran? Can you explain why the Israeli government gave back land they won against all odds in the six day war and why they won't give back the Golan Heights? Furthermore, do you know why Saddam Hussein attacked Israel with scud missiles when the United States went to war with Iraq?

I didn't know the answers to any of these questions when I started reading The Complete Idiot's Guide to the Middle East Conflict. Now I do. Can you think of a better reason for reading this book? The next time some asshole at the water cooler goes spouting off about the need for Sharon to accept a Palestinian state without provisions you can knock that fat bastard off his feet with succinct points about Arafat's policy of uncompromising terror and intifada and Jordan's expulsion of their own people. That ought to shut him up fast and have the cute chicks thinking you're worldly and sophisticated. If for nothing else it will give you something to think about and allow you a small insight into one of the world's most controversial places.