In Fractured Lands, Scott Anderson makes fairly quick work of the complicated Middle East/North Africa region. Whether than just telling the reader the bottom line: that tribal and clan loyalties matter for more than loyalties to the state and are thus creating chaos throughout Egypt, Iraq, Syria, Libya and elsewhere, he endeavors to show the reader by profiling the plight of five people from these countries, thus giving the reader a human perspective into why the Middle East is such a mess. In failing to understand these tribal/clan/familial loyalties, we will continue to fail in the Middle East.

A fairly short, but important read.

FRACTURED LANDS by war correspondent Scott Anderson employs six narratives following a Kurdish physician and an activist from Iraq, a dissident from Egypt, student from Syria, an ISIS fighter and Libyan Air Force cadet. In explaining "how the Arab world came apart," Anderson traces the history of the region and its' dictators from the early 1970's, noting in particular the instability states with artificially drawn boundaries and America's role in Iraqi politics, particularly the invasion, which he says led to the Arab Spring revolts.

In the last third of the book, Scott also discusses the rise of ISIS and subsequent migration of people and terrorism to Europe and beyond. He argues, "it is fitting that the turmoil in the Arab world has its roots in the First World War, for like that war, it is a regional crisis that has come quickly and widely ... to influence events at every corner of the globe." What is unique is how he has chosen to tell this troubled history through the life stories of six individuals and their families. Certainly heart-wrenching at times and a much needed perspective to humanize a complex and difficult situation.

The author of the acclaimed "Lawrence of Arabia" has done it yet again. Anderson does readers an immense service by delving deep into the seeds of the Arab Spring, the revolutions themselves, and their continuing chaotic aftermath, and manages to make them all comprehensible to anyone who wants to know more about the topic but fears that the pure complexity of it all may prove to be overwhelming. With his deep insight into the nature of the strongman regimes that held sway in so many Middle Eastern countries, the weak foundations of several "artificial" states crafted primarily by colonial powers after the World Wars, and his focus on an array of men and women affected in an immense variety of ways by the upheaval in the regime, he helps provide top-notch clarity in a work that should be considered a must-read for anyone who wants to get a handle on the ongoing turbulence in the Arab world that continues to send its effects rippling across to the rest of the world.

Thanks to Knopf Doubleday and Netgalley for the advance copy.

This is a gripping account which explores the roots of the Arab Spring in the Middle East, the aftermath of the events and the effect they had on the lives of the six individuals whose stories are told in the book. The book is split into five parts beginning at the start of the Twentieth Century when the Middle East was partitioned after the First World War through the Iraq war, the Arab Spring, ISIS uprising and the Refugee crisis. The six accounts of the individuals are then woven throughout in short excerpts. While I did lose my place with some of the stories because of this technique, it was a great way to build tension in the narrative.
These stories are not for the faint hearted, some of the experiences these people have gone through are harrowing and heart breaking. However, I am glad that their stories will be brought to a wide audience as the individuals experiences often don't get the attention they deserve, even in today's 24 hour news society.
I had hoped by reading this book that I would gain a bit more insight into the reasons behind the current crisis in the Middle East, and I do feel the book has given me that. I also see why finding solutions to solving the crisis are so difficult particularly after reading the accounts from Iraq. I had no knowledge at all of the Kurds situation and I feel this book has also made me want to find out more information about the difficulties in that region.
This book is a good starting point for anyone who wishes to gain a better understanding of the problems in the Middle East, it is well written, thoroughly researched and most importantly uses eyewitness accounts. This in my opinion is the true strength of the book.