I'm looking for a pile of books to read, specifically at the causes of the current state of affairs with the conflict between "The West" and the "Arab World". I'm especially interested in how the processes of colonization and the subsequent decolonization created the stage for this conflict, and also of the rise of anti-western groups like Al Qaeda and ISIS.
The most enlightening books I read were "The Looming Tower" Lawrence Wright, which is the most comprehensive and starts in the 50s, and even better Steve Coll's "Ghost Wars" which focuses on CIA ops in Afghanistan starting in '79. Lastly, Robert Baer's "Sleeping With The Devil" gives an overview of Saudi-US alliance and the Saudi's association with terrorists.
And I'll add Baer's other book, "The Devil We Know" for a great book on the MidEast today and the pivotal role Iran will play in its future. This covers the Sunni-Shiite conflict very well.
Find a good book on the Israeli-Palestine conflict and you'll have a very solid broad overview of the region.