The Iron Cage The Story of the Palestinian Struggle for Statehood

A timely and compelling examination of the Palestinian dilemma, named one of the 100 best books of the year by Publishers Weekly This story of the Palestinian search to establish a state begins in the era of British control over Palestine and stretches between the two world wars and into the present, offering much-needed perspective for anyone concerned about peace in the Middle East. "Rashid Khalidi is a historian's historian. The Iron Cage is his most accomplished effort to date . . . Magisterial in scope, meticulous in its attention to detail, and decidedly dispassionate in its analysis, The Iron Cage is destined to be a benchmark of its genre." -Joel Schalit, Tikkun "At heart a historical essay, an effort to decide why the Palestinians . . . have failed to achieve an independent state." -Steven Erlanger, New York Times "Khalidi, tackling 'historical amnesia,'brilliantly analyses the structural handicap which hobbled the Palestinians throughout 30 years of British rule . . . Khalidi restores the Palestinians to something more than victims, acknowledging that for all their disadvantages, they have played their role and can (and must) still do so to determine their own fate." -Ian Black, Guardian "Khalidi uses history to provide a clear-eyed view of the region and assess the prospects for peace. He strives successfully for even-handedness." -Anthony Lewis, author of Gideon's Trumpet and Make No Law

Rashid Khalidi, author of six books about the Middle East—Sowing Crisis, The Iron Cage, Resurrecting Empire, Origins of Arab Nationalism, Under Siege, and the award-winning Palestinian Identity—is the Edward Said Chair in Arab Studies and director of the Middle East Institute at Columbia University. He has written more than eighty articles on Middle Eastern history and politics, including pieces in the New York Times, the Boston Globe, the Los Angeles Times, the Chicago Tribune, and many journals. Professor Khalidi has received fellowships and grants from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, the Ford Foundation, the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, the American Research Center in Egypt, and the Rockefeller Foundation; he was also the recipient of a Fulbright research award. Professor Khalidi has been a regular guest on numerous radio and TV shows, including All Things Considered, Talk of the Nation, Morning Edition, NewsHour with Jim Lehrer, and Nightline.