Every Friday, I post a book recommendation on the Americans for Peace Now blog. Here’s the top of this week’s post; for the rest, please go to Americans for Peace Now.
To my mind, one of the most powerful take-aways from the President’s now famous/infamous Middle East speech is to be found in the long list of countries he talked about well before he got to the Israel/Palestine part.
The fact is, as important as Israel/Palestine is, it is part of a much larger region, and the United States acts all across that region. Indeed, the United States is currently trying very hard to get on the right side of history as that region changes before our very eyes. The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is, whether we like it or not, part of a bigger picture.
And this has always been so, whether or not we remember it.
This week, I recommend A World of Trouble, an outstanding history of American diplomacy in the Middle East, stretching from the Eisenhower era through the Administration of George W. Bush. It’s big, it’s sprawling, and it is admirably readable.
Author Patrick Tyler, a veteran journalist (New York Times, Washington Post), brings a reporter’s sensibility to events that stretch out across decades, allowing him to cut through the fog of history, wars, and enormous egos to get at the heart of the region’s story – and it’s not a particularly encouraging journey. (To read the rest of this recommendation, please go to Americans for Peace Now).
Emily L. Hauser - In My Head 