Best of Enemies: A History of US and Middle East Relations
In the third volume of their graphic history of US and Middle East relations, Jean-Pierre Filiu and David B. cover the tumultuous period that began with Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait in 1990 and ended with Obama’s decision, in 2013, not to intervene in Syria.
Taking in the First Gulf War, the rise of al-Qaeda, the military response to the September 11 attacks and the present conflict in Syria, Best of Enemies: Part Three is propelled by a clash between four US presidents and their Middle Eastern antagonists: on the one hand, George H. W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama; on the other, Saddam Hussein, Osama bin Laden and Bashar al-Assad.
Covering thirty years of conflict and diplomacy, Best of Enemies: Part Three is a breezy and engaging guide to the events that shaped our current politics, from the rise of populism and the so-called Islamic State to the global refugee crisis.
David B. is the Eisner-nominated author of Epileptic, an autobiographical story widely considered a masterpiece of the graphic-novel medium. A founding member of the revolutionary French independent publisher L’Association, he is regarded as a giant among bandes dessinées artists. His many prizes include the Prix de Cheverny, the Ignatz Award, and the Best Comic Book prize at the Angoulême International Comics Festival. His books include the graphic novels Black Paths and Incidents in the Night.
Jean-Pierre Filiu, a historian and an arabist, is professor at Sciences Po, Paris School of International Affairs (PSIA). Following an extensive career in the Middle East, first with NGOs, then as a diplomat, he has held visiting professorships both at Columbia University, New York, and Georgetown University, Washington, DC. His Apocalypse in Islam (University of California Press, 2011) was awarded the main prize by the French History Convention. His works and articles about contemporary Islam have been published in a dozen languages. His most recent book is Arab Revolution: Ten Lessons from the Democratic Uprising (Hurst, London, and Oxford University Press, New York).