As a historian interested in Shiעi communities in Arab countries, I could not help butbe disappointed by the lack of social and cultural history in this study. However, this is not anegative reflection on the book. What may at first seem like a weakness to readers such as myself,who are more interested in social and cultural history, is actually a necessary part of theauthors' formulation of their argument. The book is intended to be a very practicalrepresentation of the Arab Shiעi with political analysis that has immediate policyimplications for the Shiעi themselves, the Arab regimes that rule over them, and theUnited States. As a monograph dealing with policy issues related to the Arab Shiעi, thisbook is very successful and is of special interest to scholars, activists, and policy-makers dealingwith issues related to the Arab Shiעi.