some unanswered questions. If Kennedy was not reacting to geopolitical considerations and domestic calculations, then why even try and adopt a more nuanced policy toward the Middle East? For Kennedy, Israel and Saudi Arabia were significant pillars in the US foreign policy calculations and this was in many ways a continuation of the legacy of Truman and Eisenhower and was part of the strategy emanating from geopolitical considerations. The departure was mainly an approach of courting Nasser and to draw Egypt away from Soviet Union but this led to Israel seeking reassurances especially with regard to military support and supply of weapons. While the book argues that the policy of rapprochement with Egypt failed mainly because of opposition from the US Congress and due to complications arising from the Yemen crisis, a point that has been less explored is Nasser’s lack of trust on Washington despite showing a willingness to respond to Kennedy’s diplomatic outreach. Though some of the puzzles remain untangled, yet Perra has been able to provide an interesting account of the three years of Kennedy’s presidency and the policy choices in the Middle East. Kennedy and the Middle East is a remarkable work and delves deeper into one of the lesser known aspects of the US policy toward the Middle East. Relying on archival materials, Perra highlights President Kennedy’s policy of rapprochement with Nasser to counter Soviet influence in the region and elaborates on the reasons for its failure. The book has a lucid style and adds to the academic debate by adding a fresh perspective regarding US foreign policy in the early 1960s. Despite significant archival and historical sources, the book has been able to avoid academic jargons making it equally attractive for policy makers and general readers looking for insights into foreign policy making of the United States.

中文翻译：

---

塔希亚·阿卜杜勒·纳赛尔 (2017)。文学自传与阿拉伯民族斗争

一些悬而未决的问题。如果肯尼迪没有对地缘政治考虑和国内计算做出反应，那为什么还要尝试对中东采取更微妙的政策呢？对肯尼迪而言，以色列和沙特阿拉伯是美国外交政策计算中的重要支柱，这在很多方面都是杜鲁门和艾森豪威尔遗产的延续，也是源于地缘政治考虑的战略的一部分。离开主要是为了讨好纳赛尔并让埃及远离苏联，但这导致以色列寻求保证，特别是在军事支持和武器供应方面。虽然该书认为与埃及的和解政策失败的主要原因是美国国会的反对以及也门危机引发的并发症，较少探讨的一点是纳赛尔对华盛顿缺乏信任，尽管他愿意回应肯尼迪的外交外展活动。尽管一些谜团仍未解开，但佩拉已经能够对肯尼迪担任总统的三年和中东的政策选择提供有趣的说明。肯尼迪与中东是一项非凡的工作，深入探讨了美国对中东政策中鲜为人知的一个方面。佩拉依靠档案材料强调了肯尼迪总统与纳赛尔的和解政策，以对抗苏联在该地区的影响，并阐述了其失败的原因。这本书风格清晰，通过对 1960 年代初期美国外交政策的新观点增加了学术辩论。