Eighteen Days in October

The Yom Kippur War and How It Created the Modern Middle East

De: Uri Kaufman

Narrado por: Jonathan Todd Ross

October 2023 marks the fiftieth anniversary of the Yom Kippur War, a conflict that shaped the modern Middle East. The War was a trauma for Israel, a dangerous superpower showdown, and, following the oil embargo, a pivotal reordering of the global economic order. The Jewish State came shockingly close to defeat. A panicky cabinet meeting debated the use of nuclear weapons. After the war, Prime Minister Golda Meir resigned in disgrace, and a 9/11-style commission investigated the "debacle."

But, argues Uri Kaufman, from the perspective of a half century, the War can be seen as a pivotal victory for Israel. After nearly being routed, the Israeli Defense Force clawed its way back to threaten Cairo and Damascus. In the war's aftermath both sides had to accept unwelcome truths: Israel could no longer take military superiority for granted—but the Arabs could no longer hope to wipe Israel off the map. A straight line leads from the battlefields of 1973 to the Camp David Accords of 1978 and all the treaties since. Like Michael Oren's Six Days of War, this is the definitive account of a critical moment in history.

©2023 Uri Kaufman (P)2023 Tantor

gripping history

M. Kaufman has written a concise and gripping account of a complex two-front war and of the diplomacy that ended it. He has done the invaluable service of challenging the conventional understanding of the war. I came to the book believing that Israel had suffered a moral, if not martial defeat, that Golda Meir had failed as a war time leader, and that Richard Nixon had proven to be a surprising but steadfast friend of Israel. Mr. Kaufman shows that none of these views is correct. He has given me new appreciation for PM Meir's excellence in guiding the Jewish state-- a woman in "orthopedic shoes" successfully standing up, at various times, against Soviet threats, American pressure, and, of course the combined Egyptian-Syrian onslaught.
Mr. Kaufman's always crisp prose occasionally soars to poetic heights, giving striking images of war's terrible beauty. He also has an admirable sense of humor, and his wit is enhanced by the narrator's excellent timing. Another of Mr. Kaufman's gifts is his ability to relate an anecdote that captures a historical figure in a few strokes.
This book is exceptional, a great work of scholarship that is also a page turner. it is worth your time.
I would add that, at the war's end, both Syria and Egypt were not only beaten but vulnerable to further devastating blows. In the fifty years since the war, neither nation has shown any interest in a sequel. Perhaps there is a lesson here for American policymakers who want to see quiet (peace is too tall an order) in the Middle East, that roughest of neighborhoods.

Insights From Declassified Material

The example of the Yom Kippur war illustrates in fabulous detail why conversations between the generals [generally available only after those guys are dead and cannot manage the spin] is extremely helpful to understanding history.

The whitewashing of history with the spin from the politicians and top figures [Meir, Arafat, Assad, Breznev, Nixon/Haig/Kissinger, whose leadership failures were the primary cause of the war, in the first place] is something that can only be detailed with release of the insights like in this book, long after the fact.

In general a very simple truth always holds, "NEVER, EVER, EVER waste any time consuming pol statements or experts working for newsorgs at the time ... the ONLY thing that pols and experts know how to do is to LIE and spin the story ... the cureent news is ALWAYS worse than useless, because it is necessarily going to be a collection of toxic garbage from soothing liars, spun for misleading the public and misleadingly countering the spin of the misleaders.

Thought provoking and entertaining

A twisting and turning account of the 1973 war. Very entertaining and provides a significant history of this important conflict.

Was this a lesson learned?

This is an extraordinarily well written, well read and informative book! After reading about how unprepared Israel was in 1973 and comparing that lack of preparation to what happened on October 6, 2023, I am left with a concern that some lessons are not well learned and can be repeated to Israel's detriment. Regardless, this book is fantastic! 

Ongoing regional issue

I liked the detail given to aid an understanding to the reader of a complex regional issue that may never happen until both peoples can live together inspite of religious differences compounded by land awarded by super powers that amounted to theft by those already living there.

Great book, boring audio

The story and facts are very helpful to understanding the history of the Middle East conflict. a great read in that regard. However, the narration is very dry and it takes the reader about half the book to warm up and start sounding less mechancial.

An extraordinary telling

Although I came to adulthood during the Yom Kippur War, I had no clue as to the details. This is an excellent telling of one of Israel’s greatest blunders and how they managed to snatch a victory out of near defeat.
It sheds light on the capabilities of Israeli defenses and should serve as a cautionary tale to those who want to engage in hostilities.

Warts & All

This fascinating book shares insightful, intricate details from authoritative sources. If you anticipate that the book relays a biased, pro-Israel perspective, please know that the author does not shy away from criticizing Israel, its politicians, and its military leaders.

Great Narration - comprehensive viewpoint

Great insight into not only the battlefield decisions, but also the political ones during an important modern conflict. Lessons abound in this agenda-free assessment of what happened, why it happened and the interactions of the decision-makers. Very different conflict from 1967 War. Because it lasted a bit longer, the role of the Superpower benefactors was larger in driving the end of the war.

The clash of egos

The intense personal competition and Pattonesque ambition of all the leaders of each nation and army