Synopses & Reviews
Marwan Muasher, a prominent Jordanian diplomat, has been instrumental in shaping Middle East peace efforts for nearly twenty years. He served as Jordanand#8217;s first ambassador to Israel and was also ambassador to the United States, spokesperson at peace talks in Madrid and Washington, minister of foreign affairs, and deputy prime minister in charge of reform. Here he recounts the behind-the-scenes details of diplomatic ventures over the past two decades, including such recent undertakings as the Arab Peace Initiative and the Middle East Road Map.
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Muasherand#8217;s insights into internal Arab politics and the successes and failures of the Arab Center are uniquely informed and deeply felt. He assesses how the middle road approach to reform is faring and explains why current tactics used by the West to deal with Islamic groups are doomed to failure. He examines why the Arab Center has made so little progress and which Arab, Israeli, and American policies need rethinking. Part memoir and part analysis, this book reveals the human side of the Arab-Israeli conflict. It is essential reading for all who share the hope that moderate, pragmatic Arab voices will be heard in todayand#8217;s vitriolic debates over how to achieve an enduring peace in the Middle East.
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Review
and#8220;To be constructive, rational, and moderate in the Arab Middle East may be the most dangerous approach of all; Muasher therefore exhibits courage as well as intellectual energy applied toward making a positive
contribution.and#8221;and#8212;andshy;Charles Hill, Diplomat-in-Residence, Yale University
Review
and#8220;Must reading for those who recognize that a comprehensive strategic approach to the Middle East is indispensable to a more stable and secure U.S. and world.and#8221;and#8212;Mara Rudman, former Deputy Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs and Chief of Staff for the National Security Council
Review
"Few Arabandnbsp;thinkers are better positioned to discuss theandnbsp;challenge to moderation in the Middle East, and I hope that Marwan Muasher's distinguished voice of reason and pragmatism will be heard well beyond our region."and#8212;His Majesty King Abdullah II of Jordan
Review
and#8220;This book is a must read to understand how to address the challenges facing the Middle East today.and#8221;and#8212;President Bill Clinton
Review
"Marwan Muasher is not just a witness, but also an active participant and a shaper of realities in the Middle East. His book is indeed a valuable and unique contribution to the field with insights, inside information, and a superb grasp of history in the making.andnbsp;Such an authentic Arab voice from within, writing in English to engage a Western readership, is an opportunity not to be missed.andnbsp; I have developed the greatest respect for his integrity, courage, and humanityand#8212;precisely those qualities that make his book exceptional."and#8212;Hanan Ashrawi
Review
"A fascinating inside look by a 50-year-old Arab statesman, the first to write a book in English, who was privy to all the secret machinations since the age of 30."and#8212;Arnaud de Borchgrave,
UPI Editor-at-Large
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Review
"Excellent."and#8212;Al Kamen, Washington Post
Review
"[This is] one of the most important books on the Middle East, and is required reading for everyone interested in finding solutions to the many problems the region faces today. . . .Arab leaders, and America's next president, would do well to heed the experiences and advice of an Arab statesman."and#8212;Scott MacLeod,Time's Middle East Blog byandnbsp;Cairo Bureauandnbsp;Chief
Review
"Muasher's book raises what may be the most damning criticism of the Bush administration's Middle East policy and#8212; that it has unwittingly undercut the very people the United States wanted most to help."and#8212;David Ignatius, Washington Post
Review
"A gem of memoir as history, The Arab Center traces the torturous negotiations among Israel, the Palestinians, the Arab states, and the outside world from 1991 to 2004, with well-chosen documents appended."and#8212;L. Carl Brown, Foreign Affairs
Review
". . . One of [The Arab Center's] important contributions . . . is to question the meaning of an Arab 'moderate' and the selective application of moderation to a single issueand#8212;the pursuit of a two-state solution to the Arab-Israeli conflict. . . ."and#8212;Roula Khalaf, Financial Times
Review
"The Arab Center . . . is worth reading for both the valor and the failures it describes. . . . It has the credibility, factual specificity and reflective, often self-critical, analysis that official government statements and authorized histories usually lack."and#8212;Rami G. Khouri, Middle East Times
Review
"In this painstakingly fair-minded and sensible memoir [Muasher] tries to show why there is still no solution to the Palestinian-Israeli imbroglio. . . . The next American president would do well to peruse Mr. Muasher's offering."and#8212;The Economist
Review
"The Arab Center is in part a political memoir, in part an agenda for a solution to today's eight-year stagnation of the Arab-Israeli peace process. . . . Muasher makes a strenuous call for US reinvestment in the peace process. Already blueprints are in place, he feels and time is running out."and#8212;Colin Thubron, New York Review of Books
Synopsis
A knowledgeable insider provides the first clear view of what has happened in the Arab world and why
This important book is not about immediate events or policies or responses to the Arab Spring. Instead, it takes a long, judicious view of political change in the Arab world, beginning with the first Awakening in the nineteenth century and extending into future decades when--if the dream is realized--a new Arab world defined by pluralism and tolerance will emerge. Marwan Muasher, former foreign minister of Jordan, asserts that all sides--the United States, Europe, Israel, and Arab governments alike--were deeply misguided in their thinking about Arab politics and society when the turmoil of the Arab Spring erupted. He explains the causes of the unrest, tracing them back to the first Arab Awakening, and warns of the forces today that threaten the success of the Second Arab Awakening, ignited in December 2010. Hope rests with the new generation and its commitment to tolerance, diversity, the peaceful rotation of power, and inclusive economic growth, Muasher maintains. He calls on the West to rethink political Islam and the Arab-Israeli conflict, and he discusses steps all parties can take to encourage positive state-building in the freshly unsettled Arab world.
Synopsis
This important book is not about immediate events or policies or responses to the Arab Spring. Instead, it takes a long, judicious view of political change in the Arab world, beginning with the first Awakening in the nineteenth century and extending into future decades whenand#8212;if the dream is realizedand#8212;a new Arab world defined by pluralism and tolerance will emerge.and#160;Marwan Muasher, former foreign minister of Jordan, asserts that all sidesand#8212;the United States, Europe, Israel, and Arab governments alikeand#8212;were deeply misguided in their thinking about Arab politics and society when the turmoil of the Arab Spring erupted. He explains the causes of the unrest, tracing them back to the first Arab Awakening, and warns of the forces today that threaten the success of the Second Arab Awakening, ignited in December 2010. Hope rests with the new generation and its commitment to tolerance, diversity, the peaceful rotation of power, and inclusive economic growth, Muasher maintains. He calls on the West to rethink political Islam and the Arab-Israeli conflict, and he discusses steps all parties can take to encourage positive state-building in the freshly unsettled Arab world.
About the Author
Marwan Muasher is vice president for studies at the Carnegie Endowment, overseeing research in Washington and Beirut on the Middle East. He has served as Jordan's ambassador to the United States, foreign minister, and deputy prime minister. He lives in Washington, DC.