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Best of Enemies: A History of US and Middle East Relations: 1953-1984

Words by Jean-Pierre Filiu

Art by David B.

Translated by Edward Gauvin

Hardback, 112 pp, $24.95

In this, the second volume of their acclaimed "must-read" account of the proxy cockpit of postwar history, Jean-Pierre Filiu and David B. trace the arduous trail from Suez to the Six-Day War, from Yom Kippur to Beirut. 

With merciless clarity, they lay bare the implacable factionalism and brutal realpolitik that continue to infest the oil, sand and blood of the Middle East – here played out on the three-dimensional chessboard of an international Cold War always on the brink of 'going hot'.


David B.


David B. is the Eisner-nominated author of Epileptic, an autobiographical story widely considered a masterpiece of the graphic novel medium. A founding member of the revolutionary French independent publisher L'Association, he is regarded as a giant among Bandes Dessinées artists. His many prizes include the Prix de Cheverny, the Ignatz Award and the Best Comic Book prize at the Angoulême International Comics Festival. His books include the graphic novels Black Paths and Best of Enemies (with Jean-Pierre Filiu).

Jean-Pierre Filiu


Jean-Pierre Filiu, a historian and an arabist, is professor at Sciences Po, Paris School of International Affairs (PSIA). After an extensive career in the Middle East, first with NGOs, then as a diplomat, he has held visiting professorships both at Columbia (New York) and at Georgetown (Washington). His Apocalypse in Islam (University of California Press, 2011) was awarded the main prize by the French History Convention. His works and articles about contemporary Islam have been published in a dozen languages. His most recent book is Arab Revolution: Ten Lessons from the Democratic Uprising (Hurst, London, and Oxford University Press, New York).

Reviews

"It's a clever, informative and wonderfully drawn book that provides an excellent introduction to complex regional issues and their massive (often disastrous) international impact."
— Nudge