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After the Six Days War, things didn?t get any better. Nasser, for example, blamed his generals, other politicians, and just about anyone else rather than himself. King Hussein of Jordan became fatalistic about the fate of himself and his family. Syria claimed victory, despite losing the Golan Heights, arguing that such a small loss was the same as victory.

In many ways, the horrible consequences of the Six Days War are not simply due to the Arab losses, but the failure of Arab governments and people to adequately deal with those losses.


Denial, fatalism, false pride, and worse all prevented Arab Muslims from engaging in even a modicum of introspection and self-critique. They have never really accepted defeat, preferring to believe that they were betrayed, that the Americans secretly helped, or anything else in order to avoid the idea that they were unprepared and outfought ? not to mention unlucky, because so many of the Israeli victories were dependent upon luck.

Those failures continue today. If Arab Muslims acknowledge any faults in their societies, it is too often the idea that they are not ?Islamic? enough ? as if a more fundamentalist and fanatical form of Islam would create a stronger society which would be able to push the Jews into the sea. It is true that fanaticism can be a powerful force, but it probably won?t be powerful enough to eliminate Israel, especially considering the amount of religious fanaticism that exists on that side as well. At most, it will eliminate what strength and vigor remains in Arab lands.

Oren?s is an incredible book ? it?s not only a definitive account of the Six Days War, it is sets a new standard for the writing of military histories generally. He combines personal accounts, descriptions of character, and detailed explanations of actual battles in a way that really helps the reader understand what went on and why. If you read only one book on the history and politics of the modern Middle East, this should be it.

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