From the Publisher
Could the United States defeat Al-Qaeda but still lose the broader war on terrorism? In The Stakes: America and the Middle East, Shibley Telhami, one of America’s most in-demand commentators on the Middle East, provides a concise and penetrating analysis that explains Arab and Muslim attitudes toward the United States and shows why there is much reason for concern. In an insightful, passionate, yet balanced analysis, Telhami provides new perspectives on the collapse of Palestinian-Israeli negotiations and the attending escalation of violence. He shows why the Arab-Israeli conflict remains central to the war on terrorism and to international stability, and considers American policy toward Iraq and the Persian Gulf. He demonstrates the need for political change in the region’s oil states and suggests how best to achieve it. The Stakes provides a well-reasoned, calm analysis that will be essential reading for anyone who wonders where America should go from here, amid the dangers and opportunities in the ever-volatile Middle East.
The New York Times
The threat of terrorism in the United States ''cannot be addressed through coercive power alone,'' Shibley Telhami cautions in The Stakes. It is a product -- not unlike oil -- in a supply-and- demand-driven market in which the demand side stems from ''public despair and humiliation.'' ''Horrible as they are, suicide bombings are empowering to many as a method that overcomes great odds and redefines the distribution of power,'' Telhami writes. Telhami, the Anwar Sadat professor for peace and development at the University of Maryland, seeks to put ''the Middle East in a global perspective.'' — A.G. Basoli
Jimmy Carter
Shibley Telhami has become a voice of reason on American policy toward the Middle East.
Brent Scowcroft
A significant contribution to our national discussion and eventual understanding of a vital part of the world.
Samuel Lewis
Shibley Telhami is the wisest commentator on Middle East affairs I know. <%END_COMM_GRP%>
William Quandt
Americans now have a guide through the complex issues that confront our country in the Middle East.
Theodore M. Hesburgh
I highly recommend this fine book for all of its wisdom and balance.
Kenneth Waltz
Everyone concerned with terror, conflict, and America's role in the region should read this book.
Alexander L. George
This book should be immediately read and pondered by top-level administration officials, their advisors...and all concerned citizens.
Publishers Weekly
Perception counts for a lot when it comes to U.S. policy in the Middle East-so Telhami argues in this slim but intellectually dense volume. A political scientist at the University of Maryland and a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, Telhami argues that the United States could defeat Osama bin Laden and even Iraq, but still not eliminate the Islamic terrorist threat. As long as the United States is perceived in the Arab and Muslim worlds as arrogant, pro-Israel and supportive of authoritarian regimes such as Saudi Arabia's, the seeds of terror will sprout, he argues, quoting a Council on Foreign Relations study: "there is little doubt that stereotypes of the United States as arrogant, self-indulgent, hypocritical, inattentive, and unwilling or unable to engage in cross-cultural dialogue are pervasive and deeply rooted." Telhami devotes much of the book to elaborating, in readable prose, how and why American policy over the past few years has been viewed negatively. Telhami's solutions are simple. Among his proposals: the United States should become more evenhanded in its approach to the Israeli-Palestinian issue and pressure the region's authoritarian regimes to democratize. Strong defenders of American policy may find Telhami's argument a sophisticated form of "blame America," but as the world's focus narrows to Iraq, this volume provides a welcome look at how the Arab world views the broader picture. 3 maps. (Dec.) Forecast: There should be demand for this clearheaded discussion, and Westview plans a 40,000 first printing, ads in the New York Review of Books and elsewhere and a 30-market radio satellite tour for Telhami. Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.
Foreign Affairs
With the horror of September 11 as a point of departure, Telhami reviews American involvement in the Middle East and traces American actions and plans since that date. This book is no "above the fray" account but an appeal for multilateralism and for understanding the limitations of sheer power in international relations. Yet Telhami so carefully discusses the counterarguments to his thesis that even those opposing his position will find this little book stimulating. He argues why the United States needs to simultaneously root out terrorists and address the ills that produce terrorism, noting that terrorists more readily thrive in countries with weak central governments. He also explains the dilemma of those Arab rulers who are willing enough to cooperate with the United States but remain constrained by inflamed public opinion. And he demonstrates that the tragic Israeli-Palestinian confrontation simply cannot be disaggregated from issues of terrorism or Saddam Hussein's Iraq. His conclusion sums up brilliantly the history of U.S. policy concerning oil and the Persian Gulf since World War II. An important contribution to the much-needed American debate on where we go from here in the Middle East.
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