La carrière universitaire de William R. Polk s'est concentrée sur la littérature et l'histoire arabes, apportant son expertise à des institutions telles que l'Université Harvard et l'Université de Chicago. Au-delà du monde universitaire, son influence s'est étendue à l'élaboration des politiques, puisqu'il a siégé au Conseil de planification des politiques sous la présidence de Kennedy et a participé activement à la négociation du cessez-le-feu de Suez entre l'Égypte et Israël. Il a également fondé l'Adlai Stevenson Institute of International Affairs, soulignant ainsi son engagement envers le discours international. La production littéraire prolifique de Polk, attestée par dix-neuf livres, témoigne d'un profond engagement dans ses domaines de prédilection.
Helps the reader comprehend Iraq, its diversities and contradictions, namely Arab and Kurd, Shia and Sunni, traditionalist and modern, secular and religious, pragmatic and radical. This book culminates in an indictment of the US for failing to learn the lessons of history in Iraq.
The Middle East in the Twentieth Century
The Elusive Peace, first published in 1979, highlights the crucial developments in the Middle East during the twentieth century: the coming of nationalism, the struggle for independence, the effects of the Cold War and the four hot wars in the Middle East. The numerous attempts to solve the conflicts, and the ultimate failure of such attempts, are discussed with particular reference to the war in Lebanon, and its relation to larger conflicts. As an American emissary during the Kennedy, Johnston and Nixon years, William Polk is unique in his ability to assess the key personalities and provide thorough analysis, considering Sadat and Begin, and the American policies of Dulles and Kissinger. This is a fascinating and inclusive study which provides essential background to the on-going turmoil in the Middle East.