"Reviled for partitioning Palestine and then standing by as its people were uprooted and dispossessed, yet revered for its tireless efforts to contain the damage and restore human dignity, the United Nations, with its multiple organs and divergent agendas, often brings to Arab minds the two faces of Janus. To the undiscerning eye, those who inflict the wounds in battle and those who try to save the wounded look the same in blood-stained shirts. Karim Makdisi and Vijay Prashad's book offers remarkable insight into a complex and multifaceted United Nations, disentangling the threads of its intense and often paradoxical engagement with the Arab world."—Rima Khalaf, Under-Secretary-General and Executive Secretary, United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia
 "The operational UN came of age and has stumbled into old age in the turbulent politics of the Middle East. Land of Blue Helmets is a fascinating set of essays by first-class analysts. A must-read for anyone interested in the problems and prospects of multilateralism in general and multilateralism in the Middle East in particular."—Thomas G. Weiss, Presidential Professor, The Graduate Center, City University of New York

"This collection of timely essays is an important addition to the literature on the United Nations and the Arab world. Finally, in one volume, we have a comprehensive review of the UN’s complex role in the region. The authors assembled by Makdisi and Prashad mix insightful analysis of the strengths and limits of the organization with a fascinating account of the political context in which it operates. The book is a must-read for scholars and practitioners alike."—Ian Johnstone, Professor of International Law, Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Tufts University