R&L Logo R&L Logo
  • GENERAL
    • Browse by Subjects
    • New Releases
    • Coming Soon
    • Chases's Calendar
  • ACADEMIC
    • Textbooks
    • Browse by Course
    • Instructor's Copies
    • Monographs & Research
    • Reference
  • PROFESSIONAL
    • Education
    • Intelligence & Security
    • Library Services
    • Business & Leadership
    • Museum Studies
    • Music
    • Pastoral Resources
    • Psychotherapy
  • FREUD SET
Cover Image
Paperback
share of facebook share on twitter
Add to GoodReads

The Closed Circle

An Interpretation of the Arabs

David Pryce-Jones

As the violence of the Middle East has come to America, many Westerners are stunned and confounded by this new form of mayhem that appears to be a feature of Arab societies. This important book explains how Arabs are closed in a circle defined by tribal, religious, and cultural traditions. David Pryce-Jones examines the forces which “drive the Arabs in their dealings with each other and with the West.” In the postwar world, he argues, the Arabs reverted to age-old tribal and kinship structures, from which they have been unable to escape. In tribal society, loyalty is extended to close kin and other members of the tribe. The successful nation-state—the model that Westerners understand—generates broader loyalties, but the tribal world has no institutions that have evolved by common consent for the general good. Those who seek power achieve it by plotting secretly and ruthlessly eliminating their rivals. In the Arab world, violence is systemic. "This is a healthy corrective, a thought-provoking study. And Mr. Pryce-Jones has done his research, bringing a wealth of reading to his task; the book is extensively documented, with a good section of reference notes."—David K. Shipler, New York Times Book Review. "Acute insights into how the Middle East works, or fails to work. This is definitely a book to be read, if also one to be thought about carefully and rather critically."—David Morgan, Times Literary Supplement.
  • Details
  • Details
  • Author
  • Author
  • Reviews
  • Reviews
  • Features
  • Features
Ivan R. Dee
Pages: 480 • Trim: 5½ x 8½
978-1-56663-826-5 • Paperback • February 2009 • $18.95 • (£14.99)
Subjects: History / Middle East / General, History / World, History / General
David Pryce-Jones is the author of nineteen books of fiction and nonfiction, including The War That Never Was, Paris in the Third Reich, The Face of Defeat, and The Hungarian Revolution, as well as novels and literary biography. He lives in London.
This is definitely a book to be read, if also one to be thought about carefully and rather critically.
— David Morgan; Times Literary Supplement


Powerful . . . must be considered and appreciated even by those who think they disagree with it.
— Amos Elon


A brilliant book.
— Hugh Nissenson


A landmark for understanding the politics of the Middle East . . . as brilliant as it is depressing.
— Daniel Pipes, director, Middle East Forum; author of Militant Islam Comes to America


Refreshing . . . most stimulating . . . as with the best historical works, The Closed Circle is the outcome, and the resolution, of a puzzlement.
— Elie Kedourie


A brilliant insight into the way Arab societies work. A healthy corrective, a thought-provoking study.
— David K. Shipler; The New York Times


Excellent. Having lived in Arabia for six years, I can say that this text superbly sets out the historical events that led us to the current situation today and explains many aspects of the culture that are misunderstood.
— Daniel Kirk, Macon State College


A brilliant insight into the way Arab societies work

The Closed Circle

An Interpretation of the Arabs

Cover Image
Paperback
Summary
Summary
  • As the violence of the Middle East has come to America, many Westerners are stunned and confounded by this new form of mayhem that appears to be a feature of Arab societies. This important book explains how Arabs are closed in a circle defined by tribal, religious, and cultural traditions. David Pryce-Jones examines the forces which “drive the Arabs in their dealings with each other and with the West.” In the postwar world, he argues, the Arabs reverted to age-old tribal and kinship structures, from which they have been unable to escape. In tribal society, loyalty is extended to close kin and other members of the tribe. The successful nation-state—the model that Westerners understand—generates broader loyalties, but the tribal world has no institutions that have evolved by common consent for the general good. Those who seek power achieve it by plotting secretly and ruthlessly eliminating their rivals. In the Arab world, violence is systemic. "This is a healthy corrective, a thought-provoking study. And Mr. Pryce-Jones has done his research, bringing a wealth of reading to his task; the book is extensively documented, with a good section of reference notes."—David K. Shipler, New York Times Book Review. "Acute insights into how the Middle East works, or fails to work. This is definitely a book to be read, if also one to be thought about carefully and rather critically."—David Morgan, Times Literary Supplement.
Details
Details
  • Ivan R. Dee
    Pages: 480 • Trim: 5½ x 8½
    978-1-56663-826-5 • Paperback • February 2009 • $18.95 • (£14.99)
    Subjects: History / Middle East / General, History / World, History / General
Author
Author
  • David Pryce-Jones is the author of nineteen books of fiction and nonfiction, including The War That Never Was, Paris in the Third Reich, The Face of Defeat, and The Hungarian Revolution, as well as novels and literary biography. He lives in London.
Reviews
Reviews
  • This is definitely a book to be read, if also one to be thought about carefully and rather critically.
    — David Morgan; Times Literary Supplement


    Powerful . . . must be considered and appreciated even by those who think they disagree with it.
    — Amos Elon


    A brilliant book.
    — Hugh Nissenson


    A landmark for understanding the politics of the Middle East . . . as brilliant as it is depressing.
    — Daniel Pipes, director, Middle East Forum; author of Militant Islam Comes to America


    Refreshing . . . most stimulating . . . as with the best historical works, The Closed Circle is the outcome, and the resolution, of a puzzlement.
    — Elie Kedourie


    A brilliant insight into the way Arab societies work. A healthy corrective, a thought-provoking study.
    — David K. Shipler; The New York Times


    Excellent. Having lived in Arabia for six years, I can say that this text superbly sets out the historical events that led us to the current situation today and explains many aspects of the culture that are misunderstood.
    — Daniel Kirk, Macon State College


Features
Features
  • A brilliant insight into the way Arab societies work

ALSO AVAILABLE

  • Cover image for the book The Middle East and South Asia 2024–2025, 57th Edition
  • Cover image for the book Gods in the Desert: Religions of the Ancient Near East
  • Cover image for the book The Chatham House Version: And Other Middle Eastern Studies
  • Cover image for the book The Lebanese Forces: Emergence and Transformation of the Christian Resistance
  • Cover image for the book Historical Dictionary of the Kurds, Third Edition
  • Cover image for the book Historical Dictionary of Syria, Fourth Edition
  • Cover image for the book The History of the Tajik Civil War, 1992–1997
  • Cover image for the book Historical Dictionary of Lebanon, Second Edition
  • Cover image for the book Historical Dictionary of the Syrian Uprising and Civil War
  • Cover image for the book Historical Dictionary of the Druzes, Second Edition
  • Cover image for the book Historical Dictionary of Yemen, Third Edition
  • Cover image for the book American Alliance Policy in the Middle East, 1945-1992: Iran, Israel, and Saudi Arabia
  • Cover image for the book Historical Dictionary of the Arab-Israeli Conflict, Second Edition
  • Cover image for the book Anglo-American Defense Projects in the Postwar Middle East: Cold War or Imperialism?
  • Cover image for the book From Qajar to Pahlavi: Iran, 1919-1930
  • Cover image for the book Jihad and Genocide
  • Cover image for the book Historical Dictionary of the Arab Uprisings
  • Cover image for the book Historical Dictionary of the Berbers (Imazighen), Second Edition
  • Cover image for the book The Middle East and South Asia 2023–2024, 56th Edition
  • Cover image for the book The A to Z of the Kurds
  • Cover image for the book Historical Dictionary of the Persian Gulf War 1990-1991
  • Cover image for the book Middle East Illusions: Including Peace in the Middle East? Reflections on Justice and Nationhood
  • Cover image for the book Historical Dictionary of Saudi Arabia, Third Edition
  • Cover image for the book At the Dawn of the Cold War: The Soviet-American Crisis over Iranian Azerbaijan, 1941–1946
  • Cover image for the book Historical Dictionary of Mesopotamia, Second Edition
  • Cover image for the book The A to Z of the Druzes
  • Cover image for the book The Art of Avaz and Mohammad Reza Shajarian: Foundations and Contexts
  • Cover image for the book Creating the Arabian Gulf: The British Raj and the Invasions of the Gulf
  • Cover image for the book The U.S.-Soviet Confrontation in Iran, 1945-1962: A Case in the Annals of the Cold War
  • Cover image for the book Iraq and Rupert Hay's Two Years in Kurdistan
  • Cover image for the book The Middle East and South Asia 2022–2023, 55th Edition
  • Cover image for the book Negotiating Palestinian Womanhood: Encounters between Palestinian Women and American Missionaries, 1880s–1940s
  • Cover image for the book Public Administration in Palestine: Past and Present
  • Cover image for the book The A to Z of the Berbers (Imazighen)
  • Cover image for the book The A to Z of the Gulf Arab States
  • Cover image for the book The A to Z of Iran
  • Cover image for the book The A to Z of Middle Eastern Intelligence
  • Cover image for the book Iraq and Gertrude Bell's The Arab of Mesopotamia
  • Cover image for the book United States and Iran: Different Values and Attitudes Toward Nature
  • Cover image for the book Spies, Scandals, and Sultans: Istanbul in the Twilight of the Ottoman Empire
  • Cover image for the book The Middle East and South Asia 2020-2022, 54th Edition
  • Cover image for the book From Palace to Prison: Inside the Iranian Revolution
  • Cover image for the book Iraq and Eleanor Egan's The War in the Cradle of the World
  • Cover image for the book The Middle East and South Asia 2024–2025, 57th Edition
  • Cover image for the book Gods in the Desert: Religions of the Ancient Near East
  • Cover image for the book The Chatham House Version: And Other Middle Eastern Studies
  • Cover image for the book The Lebanese Forces: Emergence and Transformation of the Christian Resistance
  • Cover image for the book Historical Dictionary of the Kurds, Third Edition
  • Cover image for the book Historical Dictionary of Syria, Fourth Edition
  • Cover image for the book The History of the Tajik Civil War, 1992–1997
  • Cover image for the book Historical Dictionary of Lebanon, Second Edition
  • Cover image for the book Historical Dictionary of the Syrian Uprising and Civil War
  • Cover image for the book Historical Dictionary of the Druzes, Second Edition
  • Cover image for the book Historical Dictionary of Yemen, Third Edition
  • Cover image for the book American Alliance Policy in the Middle East, 1945-1992: Iran, Israel, and Saudi Arabia
  • Cover image for the book Historical Dictionary of the Arab-Israeli Conflict, Second Edition
  • Cover image for the book Anglo-American Defense Projects in the Postwar Middle East: Cold War or Imperialism?
  • Cover image for the book From Qajar to Pahlavi: Iran, 1919-1930
  • Cover image for the book Jihad and Genocide
  • Cover image for the book Historical Dictionary of the Arab Uprisings
  • Cover image for the book Historical Dictionary of the Berbers (Imazighen), Second Edition
  • Cover image for the book The Middle East and South Asia 2023–2024, 56th Edition
  • Cover image for the book The A to Z of the Kurds
  • Cover image for the book Historical Dictionary of the Persian Gulf War 1990-1991
  • Cover image for the book Middle East Illusions: Including Peace in the Middle East? Reflections on Justice and Nationhood
  • Cover image for the book Historical Dictionary of Saudi Arabia, Third Edition
  • Cover image for the book At the Dawn of the Cold War: The Soviet-American Crisis over Iranian Azerbaijan, 1941–1946
  • Cover image for the book Historical Dictionary of Mesopotamia, Second Edition
  • Cover image for the book The A to Z of the Druzes
  • Cover image for the book The Art of Avaz and Mohammad Reza Shajarian: Foundations and Contexts
  • Cover image for the book Creating the Arabian Gulf: The British Raj and the Invasions of the Gulf
  • Cover image for the book The U.S.-Soviet Confrontation in Iran, 1945-1962: A Case in the Annals of the Cold War
  • Cover image for the book Iraq and Rupert Hay's Two Years in Kurdistan
  • Cover image for the book The Middle East and South Asia 2022–2023, 55th Edition
  • Cover image for the book Negotiating Palestinian Womanhood: Encounters between Palestinian Women and American Missionaries, 1880s–1940s
  • Cover image for the book Public Administration in Palestine: Past and Present
  • Cover image for the book The A to Z of the Berbers (Imazighen)
  • Cover image for the book The A to Z of the Gulf Arab States
  • Cover image for the book The A to Z of Iran
  • Cover image for the book The A to Z of Middle Eastern Intelligence
  • Cover image for the book Iraq and Gertrude Bell's The Arab of Mesopotamia
  • Cover image for the book United States and Iran: Different Values and Attitudes Toward Nature
  • Cover image for the book Spies, Scandals, and Sultans: Istanbul in the Twilight of the Ottoman Empire
  • Cover image for the book The Middle East and South Asia 2020-2022, 54th Edition
  • Cover image for the book From Palace to Prison: Inside the Iranian Revolution
  • Cover image for the book Iraq and Eleanor Egan's The War in the Cradle of the World
facebook icon twitter icon instagram icon linked in icon NEWSLETTERS
ABOUT US
  • Mission Statement
  • Employment
  • Privacy
  • Accessibility Statement
CONTACT
  • Company Directory
  • Publicity and Media Queries
  • Rights and Permissions
  • Textbook Resource Center
AUTHOR RESOURCES
  • Royalty Contact
  • Production Guidelines
  • Manuscript Submissions
ORDERING INFORMATION
  • Rowman & Littlefield
  • National Book Network
  • Ingram Publisher Services UK
  • Special Sales
  • International Sales
  • eBook Partners
  • Digital Catalogs
IMPRINTS
  • Rowman & Littlefield
  • Lexington Books
  • Hamilton Books
  • Applause Books
  • Amadeus Press
  • Backbeat Books
  • Bernan
  • Hal Leonard Books
  • Limelight Editions
  • Co-Publishing Partners
  • Globe Pequot
  • Down East Books
  • Falcon Guides
  • Gooseberry Patch
  • Lyons Press
  • Muddy Boots
  • Pineapple Press
  • TwoDot Books
  • Stackpole Books
PARTNERS
  • American Alliance of Museums
  • American Association for State and Local History
  • Brookings Institution Press
  • Center for Strategic & International Studies
  • Council on Foreign Relations
  • Fairleigh Dickinson University Press
  • Fortress Press
  • The Foundation for Critical Thinking
  • Lehigh University Press
  • United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
  • Other Partners...