THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE：WHY THE WEST SHOULD GET OUT OF THE MIDDLE EAST

Book ID/图书代码： 00970008B22376

English Summary/英文概要： The Middle East was once the world’s most advanced region. But these days, according to Edward Luttwak, its biggest industries are extravagant consumption and the venting of resentment. A recent UN report on Arab development showed that the Middle East is a stagnant region where a vanishingly small amount is created in science or the arts, and where almost nothing is produced competitively. In the oil-exporting countries most work is done by foreign workers. In the poorer countries, women do all the housework and tend the fields too, while high proportions of men are not in the labour force at all. Moreover, despite its oil wealth, the entire region generates a smaller percentage of global GDP than Germany.
In this landmark short book, Edward Luttwak shows that Western media and policy-makers devote far too much attention to the Middle East. During the Cold War, the region was important as a theatre of competition between East and West. Since then, however, it has become the scene of a cyclical Israeli–Palestinian struggle that has no effect on the oil supply and very little impact outside the region. Luttwak acknowledges that threats from Saddam Hussein or Iran cannot be ignored, but shows that they are dwarfed in their global importance by the activities of the Chinese, Japanese, Russians and Indians.
The Middle of Nowhere argues that the time has come for Westerners to refrain from invasion and intrusive benevolence. The peoples of the Middle East should finally be allowed to have their own history – the very thing that Middle East experts of all stripes seem determined to deny them.

Chinese Summary/中文概要：
中東這個曾經繁榮富庶的地區現在受著戰亂和貧窮的折磨。Edward Luttwak調查後寫道中東這片土地上最頻繁發生的就是奢侈消費和發洩怨恨。聯合國阿拉伯國家發展報告也表明中東的發展基本是停滯的，要說有的話，也就是那些可忽略不計的科學和藝術的發展，基本沒有實際產出。在石油出產國，工作的都是外國人。在一些貧困的地區，男人們都無事可做，照顧家庭和務農的都是婦女。如此一來，除了挖石油得來的收入，這個地區的收入還比不上一個德國。

鑒於以上事實，Edward Luttwak在他重要的著作《左右為難——為什麼西方該放過中東》中分析到西方媒體和決策人長期以來過多關注中東。冷戰時期，此地是東西方強國的決鬥場；此後，以色列和巴基斯坦之間的糾紛又輪番上演，這些都沒有影響石油供給和其他地區的發展。Luttwak先生承認薩達姆和伊朗的威脅的確不容忽略，但比起協調好與中國、日本、俄羅斯和印度的關係，這些事情就是大巫見小巫了。

Luttwak先生的這本書論述的是西方力量是時候從侵犯中東和入侵式施捨中抽身了，中東的人民有權開創自己的歷史，雖然很多研究中東的教授不願承認這一點。

Awards/获奖情况：

About the Author/作者介绍：
Edward Luttwak是美國經濟學家和歷史學家。他是華盛頓戰略與國際研究中心的高級研究員，是多個政府部門的顧問，包括國防部秘書長辦公室、國家安全委員會、美國國務院、美國海軍、軍隊、空軍、聯盟政府、跨國企業和金融機構。他著書豐富，例如《Turbo Capitalism》和《The Grand Strategy of the Roman Empire》2004年，巴斯大學授予其榮譽學位。

Edward Luttwak is an American economist and historian. He is a Senior Fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, DC, and served as a consultant to the Office of the Secretary of Defense, the National Security Council, and the US Department of State. He is the author of many books, including Turbo Capitalism and The Grand Strategy of the Roman Empire.

Format:HARDCOVER

Rights Status/版权销售情况：Simplified Chinese/简体中文：AVAILABLE

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