Eighteen Days in October: The Yom Kippur War and How It Created the Modern Middle East

One of Financial Times' Best History Books of 2023 "Pacy and enthralling." Financial Times "Impressive...an excellent work of history." Commentary "Tells the story brilliantly." Senator Joseph I. Lieberman "Stimulating and insightful...will no doubt find a permanent place on the Arab-Israeli bookshelf." Michael Oren, New York Times bestselling author of Six Days of War October 2023 marks the 50th anniversary of the Yom Kippur War, a conflict that shaped the modern Middle East. The War was a trauma for Israel, a dangerous superpower showdown, and, following the oil embargo, a pivotal reordering of the global economic order. The Jewish State came shockingly close to defeat. A panicky cabinet meeting debated the use of nuclear weapons. After the war, Prime Minister Golda Meir resigned in disgrace, and a 9/11-style commission investigated the debacle. But, argues Uri Kaufman, from the perspective of a half century, the War can be seen as a pivotal victory for Israel. After nearly being routed, the Israeli Defense Force clawed its way back to threaten Cairo and Damascus. In the wars aftermath both sides had to accept unwelcome truths: Israel could no longer take military superiority for grantedbut the Arabs could no longer hope to wipe Israel off the map. A straight line leads from the battlefields of 1973 to the Camp David Accords of 1978 and all the treaties since. Like Michael Orens Six Days of War, this is the definitive account of a critical moment in history.