On North Africa

This is an interesting look at North Africa from a foreign policy perspective, as it existed in the mid-80s. It’s profoundly dated, but some of the tensions and concerns mentioned in the book (the western Sahara, for example) still continue. Perhaps the most interesting, and perplexing, chapter from a standpoint in 2018 is the chapter on the Islamic Revival. At one point, Parker points out, “in Libya, the religious establishment is disaffected and the reformists, if that term can be used properly in this instance, are in charge. Unfortunately, we do not know enough about what is happening in this respect in Libya to describe it accurately” (94). This statement is so deeply at-odds with reality as it exists (or existed) after the 2010-11 Arab Spring. Nevertheless, it would not be fair to criticize Parker for this, as hindsight is 20/20. The rest of the text is quite learned, and Parker seems to have understood the situation in North Africa quite well.

This text is probably best for those doing research on end-of-Cold-War American policy in MENA—it’s too dated to be of use to the layperson interested in North Africa.