Tag: Reconciliation
Peace Out Of Reach: Middle Eastern Travels And The Search For Reconciliation
by admin on Mar.04, 2009, under Historical, Political, books, cultural, travels
Peace Out Of Reach: Middle Eastern Travels And The Search For Reconciliation – Stephen Eric Bronner (2007)
Turmoil in the Middle East has escalated to unprecedented levels in the twenty-first century. Opposing cultural, religious, and political forces have resumed old conflicts and spawned new ones, fighting with words and images as well as bombs and bullets. The path toward peace and reconciliation seems further away and less clear than ever. Stephen Eric Bronner’s “Peace Out of Reach” is both a deeply personal account and a careful analysis of the crises currently threatening the cradle of civilization. Bronner’s insights into Middle Eastern tensions are significantly enhanced by his extensive travels in the region. Equally informed by scholarly research and conscientious engagement, Bronner critically evaluates the motivations and actions of the powerful players on the Middle Eastern stage. “Peace Out of Reach” challenges policymakers to build bridges, recognize common interests, foster genuine diplomacy, and seek realistically navigable roads to lasting peace, rather than resort to propaganda, threats, and military actions.
Reviewed by Michele Heather Pollock
The political and ideological conflicts plaguing the Middle East are currently of immense interest to the world. The United States is engaged in two wars there, in Afghanistan and Iraq, and trouble is brewing in other nations of the Middle East as well. It is not difficult to find news clips, sound bytes, and even occasionally longer considerations of crises in the Middle East, but it might sometimes be difficult to more deeply consider the implications of the troubles there and the Western World’s actions and reactions to it.
Stephen Eric Bronner has a very specific perspective on the conflicts in the Middle East. He is Distinguished Professor of Political Science at Rutgers University, and a well-known peace activist. And while his firm convictions against war have obviously influenced his thinking in his book Peace Out of Reach, he raises many questions that should be interesting to most people, even those who do not agree with his political views.
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