Middle East Books

In "Civilizing Chengdu", Kristin Stapleton discusses the reforms that took place between 1895-1937 in the capital city of Sichuan province. During this time Sichuan aided in the downfall of a two thousand year old dynastic system and witnessed the rise of warlordism.

Throughout much of Chinese history the management of cities took a backseat to the much more populated rural areas. However, by the late 1800's the increase in urban inhabitants, the influence of European ideas, and the numerous colonial cities scattered throughout East and Southeast Asia at this time gave rise to a new appreciation for urban management.

The book examines two urban reform programs: The first was based on the 'New Policies' of the late Qing period and the second was the city administration movement of the 1920's and early 1930's.

Before discussing these two reform eras, Stapleton gives a description of Chengdu's physical layout, social organization, status as a provincial capital, and methods of administrative rule in the late Qing period.

The book then moves on to discuss the reforms, especially police reform. Traditionally in China soldiers carried out police functions such as the guarding of important buildings and other structures and maintaining the peace at the local level. But since it was felt that these duties obstructed the modernization of the army, many believed that a modern police system was needed.

At the forefront of this movement was Zhou Shanpei. In 1899, Zhou had visited Tokyo for the first time and had become an admirer of its orderly and productive nature. Between 1902 and 1912 Zhou served six Sichuan governor-generals in Chengdu. During 1902 he had helped to establish a police administration. Zhou became head of the police bureau in 1906. Besides keeping order in the city, the police, under Zhou set out to transform social habits and customs. Theaters and brothels were brought under tighter control and workhouses for unemployed vagrants, beggars and lawbreakers were founded (p.99). Also vocational training for orphans were established. (For these and other social programs carried out under Zhou Shanpei's tenure as head of the police bureau see pp. 125-38). In 1907 Zhou Shanpei was appointed the superintendent of economic development in Sichuan province. Through this role he continued to have influence on urban reforms until 1911.

Sichuan, in 1911, saw the escalation of tensions over the central government's decision to nationalize the building of railroads. Originally, each province had control over railroad construction and it was considered a matter of local autonomy. However, local corruption and unwise investments (realized during the Shanghai stock market crisis of 1910)caused the central authorities to usurp local control. This was the catalyst that set in motion the downfall of the Qing dynasty and with it came the end of the first set of urban reform in Chengdu.

The immediate post- revolutionary period brought a different political atmosphere to Chengdu. No effective government replaced the fallen Qing bureaucracy. In this vacuum of authority, secret societies, such as the Gelaohui (Society of Elders and Brothers)came to the fore along with a group of prominent reform minded scholars called the 'Five Elders and Seven Sages' (Wu lao qi xian) and activists associated with the foreign community. Secret societies had been marginalized and suppressed during imperial rule, but during the early 1900's they witnessed substantial growth in membership and popularity (also see Stapleton, "Urban Politics in an Age of 'Secret Societies': The Cases of Shanghai and Chengdu", in Republican China, vol. 22, no. 1 (Nov.), pp. 23-63). The police force continued to exist but their control over community affairs was greatly negated by these new social forces.

It was in this strained and fragmented political atmosphere that warlordism was able to develop. "Between 1917 and 1935 Sichuan's regional armies engaged in hundreds of small and large scale wars, breaking the province up into occupation zones that grew and shrank and changed hands frequently"(p. 184). Stapleton shows how in this environment the second wave of urban reform in Chengdu attempted to take place.

These reforms began with General Yang Sen's arrival in Chengdu in 1924. Yang controlled Chengdu for only sixteen months before being chased out of the city by his rivals in the summer of 1925. Stapleton describes how Yang Sen's policies during this time did not take into consideration "local politics" (p. 219). Yang and his colleaques knew about the reform that had transformed coastal cities like Shanghai, and were eager to bring these techniques to Sichuan. However, through his attempt to remake Chengdu, Yang's authoritarian style isolated a large segment of the city's population (see chapter 7).

The post-Yang Sen city administration attempted a more conciliatory policy, bringing the city's more conservative elites back into the fold. This period (late 1920's- early 1930's) saw "the revival of many of the administrative institutions and techniques established by Zhou Shanpei during the New Policies era" (pp. 246- 47).

The second attempt at urban reform reached its apex in 1934. During this time General Liu Xiang reorganized Chengdu's police force, also taking many ideas for its administration from Zhou Shanpei's reform efforts. Stapleton, like Frederic Wakeman in "Policing Shanghai, 1927- 1937"(1995) and Stephen MacKinnon in "Police Reform in Late Ch'ing Chihli" (Ch'ing-shih Wen-t'i, vol.3, no. 4 1975) believes that the police reforms during the 'New Policies' era was "one of the most significant political events in twentieth- century Chinese history" (p. 247).

It is refreshing to see such a thorough study of a city in China's hinterland during the late Qing and early Republican era (add to this Wang Di's, "Street Culture in Chengdu", 2003) after so many studies have been done on coastal cities of this period. Because of the dearth of secondary sources in English, research on inland provinces and cities make for an exciting new path in the study of late Qing and early Republican history.

This book is not for every one, but it has plenty to offer those who think they might be interested in the history of urban reform in a Chinese provincial capital. Chengdu lies in western Sichuan province, a remote but populous part of China. Nestled at the feet of mountains that rise in the west to the Tibetan plateau, Chengdu is a beautiful and fascinating city with a long and rich history. This book was written for and should prove to be of primary interest to scholars, but it should also appeal to serious travelers who plan to visit Chengdu (or have already visited) this rewarding spot off of the usual tourist itinerary. Civilizing Chengdu focuses on efforts to administer and reform the city in the half century prior to the founding of the People's Republic of China. It is scrupulously researched but written in an accessible style. Scholars interested in modern Chinese history have recently begun to focus on developments in urban areas, and there have been a number of excellent works published over the last few years that have dealt with different urban historical topics. Most of these books have concentrated on the major cities of eastern China, such as Shanghai, Guangzhou and Beijing. This book begins to address the need for work on the many smaller cities scattered across the country.

This is the kind of book one reads with interest and excitement, and learns the fascinating details of the first anti-imperialist struggle in the early 20th century. This book gives full attention to all sides of this complicated conflict, and presents a very realistic picture without idealising any of the important figures. It is also full of many amazing stories of spying, diplomatic intrigues, political calculations and personal manipulations. At one level the book reads like a historical novel with all the ingredients of passion, disappointment, tragedy and personal dreams. But all above are narrated accurately and supported by a rich collection of Russian, Turkish and English documents, many of them have never published before. This book tells an important historical story with excitement.

This concise and lucidly written book deals with a series of key events in 1918-23 which conditioned the rise of modern Turkey and decided the fate of the Cauacsus. By using new data Gokay subjects them to a new and well-integrated analysis that provides a clearer perspective about the policies of all the forces involved in the struggle for the Caucasus and Anatolia. Convincingly an coherently, he demonstrates how the Bolshevik ideology endangered new strategic realignments and turned Russia and Great Britain into enemies. Gokay uses pactically all the existing literature in Turkish and Western languages and a variety of primary sources. In fact, he is one of the first scholars to make use of the Russian sources and thus bring forth new information on Russo-Turkish relations, including the activities of Enver Pasha, one of the Young Turks' leaders. The result is a balanced, objective, informative, and truly scholarly first-rate work - in fact, the best available succinct study of the subject.

If nothing else can be said for Warren Lehrer you can say that he is excellent at capturing people. I love this book. I've read all the portrait series books (I had to for class) and Claude was my second favorite. Brother Blue was my first. Claude is a captivating guy. I can see why women love him. If you're looking for a book that truly reveals and captures an honestly interesting character, buy this book. Heck, it's worth it just to read Claude's advice for having great relationships.

If nothing else can be said for Warren Lehrer you can say that he is excellent at capturing people. I love this book. I've read all the portrait series books (I had to for class) and Claude was my second favorite. Brother Blue was my first. Claude is a captivating guy. I can see why women love him. If you're looking for a book that truly reveals and captures an honestly interesting character, buy this book. Heck, it's worth it just to read Claude's advice for having great relationships.

My 7 year old (son) is interested in much more sophisticated stories than he can read on his own, yet he doesn't always have the patience to sit and listen to a book with absolutely no pictures. This story captivated him, as did the pictures, which helped him visualize the story. My older son has read a number of Nancy Farmer books (House of the Scorpion, Sea of Trolls) and I was pleased to find a book suitable for reading to younger children. I enjoyed this story of a boy who gets himself in trouble by not following directions, but is clever enough to get himself out of trouble. There is a dungeon in this story (oubliette) so beware.

When Ali turns seven he goes to work with his father, who keeps pigeons for the wicked sultan of Cairo, and learns all kinds of rules about their care - which he disobeys. He overfeeds one greedy pigeon who runs a bowl of the Sultan's rare cherries - and is given only three days to replace them or his father will suffer. Kids in grades 2-4 will appreciate Gail De Marcken's lovely ethnic drawings which are perfect pairings for an Arabian story of adventure.

Fantastic book!!! Captivating and hard to put down. We all remember what we were told about Vietnam... Now, GET THE REAL STORY!!! Read this book and learn the Truth!!!

This book is easy to read, very informative and again it englightens what our men of USA or any country have done to protect our freedom. I highly suggest that any man who has served in any war to pick up a copy of this book. I just wished the book would go on and on and not end. Very interesting had a hard time putting this one down! Hats off and salute to every service person who has served in any branch of service for our country.

That's what I first thought but luckily was able to find a used copy for less, and well worth whatever price you pay. "Conquest of Syria" came highly recommended by David Damrosch in a footnote in "The Buried Book: The Loss and Rediscovery of the Great Epic of Gilgamesh", and with "a Reader"'s review below, I took the chance. What a discovery! This is a very readable and enjoyable narrative of one of the most romantic and picturesque stories in archeology. Perhaps partly justifying the steep price, the book is physically above average in terms of quality - it is large format, the binding is like a tank, the boards are heavy and solid, the paper is heavy gloss, there are full-color plates, maps and drawings throughout (at least every 3rd page). The writing is in a story-telling narrative covering the lives of about half a dozen gentleman (Layard is the central hero) with adventures and tales equal to anything in India Jones. If it was re-printed in paperback for a mass audience it would probably overshadow books like The Buried Book, but for whatever reason, it remains for a limited audience because of the high price. If you have any interest in learning more about the desert adventures of 19th C archaeologists, this is one book to get lost in, it was hard to put down.

There are some scholarly quibbles. Larsen takes Laylards accounts of his adventures, written for a 19th C popular audience, at face value and in the end tends to have written a hagiography of Laylard. He repeats racists 19th c perspectives about Arabs (stupid, bad workers, etc..). His perspective on the Oriental middle east is likewise outdated calling it "endless, monotonous and flat.. decrepit.. not a nice place to spend the summer or any other time of year." There is no awareness by Larsen of post-colonial views, he seems to favor the 19th c colonial position of superiority. As a story of mystery and adventure it can't be beat, as a scholarly account it repeats old stereotypes that should be retired.

Larsen's "The Conquest of Assyria" is a handsome volume about the re-discovery and archaeology of ancient Assyria and deciphering the cuneiform script against the backdrop of both Ottoman-held Iraq and the high Victorian society.The book centers on the three giants of discovery-the romantic Austen Henry Layard,the melancholy Paul Emile Botta, and scholar-soldier Henry Rawlinson. Seperately Botta and Layard would un-earth huge palaces with giant winged human-headed bulls guarding the entrances, and friezes showing the king at war, hunting lions, and praying to his gods. These fantastic finds would bring back to life a dead civilization shrouded in myth and legend. Larsen weaves biographies, major political dilemmas and the impact the digs had on bible-conscious Europe through an exciting story of important excavations and adventure with warring and plundering bedouin tribes, cholera, and travels to regions yet to be mapped. Perhaps the greatest tale of archaeology. A true classic.

Too often our discussion of rule of law and democracy have equated constitutionalism with a respect for rights. In this book, Brown suggests we distinguish between constitutional text and liberal constitutionalist ideals. For example, Brown makes the argument that often rulers are able to get away with authoritarian practices not in violation of their country's constitution, but because that constitution is already weak and illiberal. In many Arab constitutions, executive leaders and kings retained significant power, while legislatures were reduced to mere advisory boards. Furthermore, the executives creatively used ambiguity to further their power (for example, in an early Tunisian constitution, the sultan claimed the power to issue decrees with force of law since the Constitution did not address this issue).

Brown's framework is useful beyond the Middle East. I hope Brown, or somebody following him, applies his framework to China, which is also increasingly trying to institutionalize an authoritarian order based upon an authoritarian constitution.

Brown's argument is impressively supported: although most Arab countries have constitutions, the constitutions themselves do not function as Americans would expect. However, the cynical rejection of these documents as cosmetic devices is flawed, as Arab governments do use these constitutions and they have real meaning, with some prospects for further development.

With all the recent talk of 'democratization' in the Middle East, one would do well to read Nathan Brown and revisit the agenda. What is needed may not be democratization (as elections) but constitutionalism (as in legal restraints on power).

Highly recommended, particularly for those seeking a nontechnical introduction that goes well-beyond the redundant, think tank inspired cheerleading that passes for scholarship on democracy.