In a narrative that is at once thoughtful and passionate, an award-winning historian reveals the history of peaceful coexistence between Muslims, Christians, and Jews over the course of fourteen centuries until the present day. The harsh reality of religious conflict is daily news, and the rising tensions between the West and Islam show no signs of abating. However, the relationship between Muslims, Christians, and Jews has not always been marked with animosity; there is also a deep and nuanced history of peace. From the court of caliphs in ancient Baghdad, where scholars engaged in spirited debate, to present-day Dubai, where members of each faith work side by side, Karabell traces the forgotten legacy of tolerance and cooperation these three monotheistic religions have enjoyed—a legacy that will be vital in any attempt to find common ground and reestablish peace.
"From an acclaimed historian and financial analyst, the first definitive history of the legendary private investment firm Brown Brothers Harriman - and through it, the rise to world power of the so-called American Establishment. Conspiracy theories have always swirled around Brown Brothers Harriman, and not without reason. Throughout the 19th century, when America was convulsed by a devastating financial panic every generation, Brown Brothers quietly went from strength to strength, propping up the US financial system at crucial moments and catalyzing successive booms, from the cotton trade and the steam ship to the railroad, while avoiding unwelcome attention. By the turn of the 20th century, Brown Brothers was at the heart of what was meant by the American Establishment. As America's reach extended beyond its shores, Brown Brothers was there, often working hand in glove with the State Department, as in Nicaragua in the 1910's, when the firm was essentially empowered to take over the country's economy. To the Browns, virtuousness was a given; in that spirit they supported the elite institutions that forged successive generations of leaders. When, during the Great Depression, Brown Brothers ensured their strength by merging with Averell Harriman's investment bank to form Brown Brothers Harriman, the die was cast for the role the firm would play on the world stage during World War 2 and thereafter. Its core leadership cadre, including Harriman, Robert Lovett, and Prescott Bush, all Skull and Bones men from Yale, played a central role in erecting the architecture of the postwar order, with the US dollar at its heart. In Inside Money, Zachary Karabell offers the first full and frank look inside this very private institution as a prime mover in the larger American story. Blessed with complete access to the company's archives and a thrillingly strong grasp of the bigger picture, Karabell has written in effect an x-ray film of American power from 1818 to the present"-- Provided by publisher
The building of the Suez Canal was considered the greatest engineering feat of the 19th century, but, as Zachary Karabell shows in this book, there was much more to it than just a marvel of construction. In addition, Parting the Desert describes an extraordinary meeting between East and West.
