Arab Cities in the Ottoman Period: Cairo, Syria and the Maghreb, by André Raymond. Burlington: Ashgate Variorum Collected Studies Series, 2002. 288 pages, maps, footnotes, index. US$99.95 (Cloth) ISBN 0-86078-874-1

Abstract

infrastructure are followed by existent and desired economic reforms. This section is a concrete demonstration of economic deficiency, but would benefit from an analysis of demographic factors, such as age, sex distribution, population size, and mortality and fertility trends that have an effect on the structure and size of the workforce and are crucial in analyzing the trends in population growth and participation in the workforce. In addition, the author's measurements of wealth distribution and class analysis are helpful in understanding production and market relations and their effects on economic environment. The concluding section of this work focuses on Saudi politics and foreign policy. It complements the first chapter, touching upon the issues of security, and reiterates the importance of oil reserves to the international community. Niblock examines challenges of international terrorism and the bittersweet alliance with the United States, Throughout the last fifty-five years the US conveniently overlooked factors contradicting the core of its democratic values. However, the events of 9/11 forced both countries to accept their irreconcilable ideologies. The author concludes that to ensure a regime's survival the Saudi government has to strengthen its democratic legitimacy. Niblock's book is complex and provocative, yet captivating and easy to read in its analysis of the political system in Saudi Arabia. It deserves attention from both sophisticated scholars as well as the average reader. The layout of the book acquaints the readers with two maps of Saudi Arabia, one highlighting the administrative divisions and the other focusing on the towns and communications within the country. Two other helpful features in the beginning of the book are the historical time line, as well as the abbreviations readers will encounter throughout the book. This book is certainly worth reading. Yuliana Chernyayeva and Michelle Whalen University of Central Florida