Beacon Press: The Iron Cage
Login Cart

The Iron Cage

The Story of the Palestinian Struggle for Statehood

Author: Rashid Khalidi

A lucid and compelling examination of the Palestinian dilemma by “arguably the foremost U.S. historian of the modern Middle East” (Warren I. Cohen, Los Angeles Times)

Named an outstanding title of 2006 by Publishers Weekly

In Resurrecting Empire, Rashid Khalidi dissected the failures of colonial policy over the entire span of the modern history of the Middle East, predicted the meltdown in Iraq that we are now witnessing with increasing horror, and offered viable alternatives for achieving peace in the region. His newest book, The Iron Cage, hones in on Palestinian politics and history. Once again Khalidi draws on a wealth of experience and scholarship to elucidate the current conflict, using history to provide a clear-eyed view of the situation today.

The story of the Palestinian search to establish a state begins in the era of British control over Palestine and stretches between the two world wars, when colonial control of the region became increasingly unpopular and power began to shift toward the United States. In this crucial period, and in the years immediately following World War II, Palestinian leaders were unable to achieve the long-cherished goal of establishing an independent state-a critical failure that throws a bright light on the efforts of the Palestinians to create a state in the many decades since 1948. By frankly discussing the reasons behind this failure, Khalidi offers a much-needed perspective for anyone concerned about peace in the Middle East.
Bookmark and Share
“In his new book The Iron Cage Rashid Khalidi uses history to provide a clear-eyed view of the region and assess the prospects for peace….He strives successfully for even-handedness…He’s fair to both sides, and in particular, he’s knowledgeable not only about Palestinian history but about what he has called ‘tragic Jewish history.’“
—Anthony Lewis

Reviews

Review: Guardian - February 17, 2007
“Khalidi, tackling ‘historical amnesia,’ brilliantly analyses the structural handicap which hobbled the Palestinians throughout 30 years of British rule . . . Khalidi restores the Palestinians to something more than victims, acknowledging that for all their disadvantages, they have played their role and can (and must) still do so to determine their own fate.”
Review by: Alejandra Juárez, Political Affairs - February 1, 2007
“Khalidi asks crucial questions regarding the state of Palestinian identity and viability that no other historians or political analysts have covered with such depth.”
Review by: Neil Caplan, Middle East Journal - January 15, 2007
“Rashid Khalidi’s Iron Cage is a must-read historical and political study of the Palestinian national movement. . . Supporters of the Palestinians and of Israel will read this book in different ways and with different eyes, but both will find Khalidi’s presentation richly illuminating.”
Review by: Steven Erlanger, New York Times - January 7, 2007
“At heart a historical essay, an effort to decide why the Palestinians . . . have failed to achieve an independent state.”
Review by: Bashir Abu-Manneh, The Nation - December 18, 2006
“A work of forceful historical analysis written in a spirit of self-examination… The Iron Cage compels us to reflect more deeply on the problems that continue to bedevil the Palestinian movement.”
Review by: Jonathan Shainin, Salon - December 18, 2006
“In a refreshing contrast to the yammering bazaar of complaint and allegation that has dominated American public discussion of the Middle East since Sept. 11, 2001, The Iron Cage is a patient and eloquent work . . . Khalidi lends a remarkable illumination to a story so wearily familiar it is often hard to believe anything new can be found within.”

Review: Publishers Weekly 100 Best Books issue - November 6, 2006
“A first-rate and update-to-date historical and political analysis of the Palestinian predicament.”
Review: Tikkun, “Tikkun Recommends” section, - November 1, 2006
“Magisterial in scope, meticulous in its attention to detail, and decidedly dispassionate in its analysis, The Iron Cage is destined to be a benchmark of its genre.”
Review: Publishers Weekly - September 4, 2006
"Historian Khalidi…brings vital perspective…admirably synthesizing the latest scholarship…first-rate and up-to-date historical and political analysis of the Palestinian predicament remains illuminating."

You might also be interested in:

The Iron Cage

ISBN: 978-080700308-4
 Publication Date: 10/15/2006
 Pages: 328
 Size:5.5 x 8.5 Inches (US)
Price:  $24.95
Format: Cloth
Availability: Not currently available.
(Backorder policy)
Also Available In:
Paperback
Categories: