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"Fascinating reading for anyone who likes true human drama. Only Wright could have written Dreams and Shadows because only Wright has traveled so widely, interviewed such diverse leaders, and brought so much wisdom to analyzing the region’s many-sided puzzles. This volume, full of mesmerizing detail and large truths, sets a new standard for scholarship on the modern Middle East." "At a critical time, Dreams and Shadows offers a panoramic perspective on the prospects of change in the Middle East. Robin Wright brings to life an array of forces, voices and ideas--both inspiring and troubling--in an engaging political travelogue. Readers will come away with a better understanding of the region's rich past, a sense of its current stirrings, and a view into what may lie ahead." --Former National Security Adviser Gen. Brent Scowcroft "Few Middle East observers have a keener eye or greater passion for the region than Robin Wright, and she is a talented trend-spotter. Two decades ago her Sacred Rage foreshadowed the surging appeal of militant Islam and the grim challenge it posed to the West. With Dreams and Shadows she illuminates, in riveting fashion, the most hopeful political personalities and developments in what many mistakenly see as the uninterrupted bleakness of the Middle East. Her insights -- drawn from vast regional experience, a remarkable array of Middle Eastern contacts, and an unblinking sense of realism -- are cause for cautious optimism." --Chairman of House Foreign Relations Committee Tom Lantos "Drawing on decades of travel and reporting from the region, Wright reveals the undercurrents of the latest fundamental searching in Palestine, Iraq, and Lebanon, as well as the labyrinthine politics of Egypt, Morocco, Syria, Iran, and others. With impressive access to the region's political and opinion leaders, Wright brings us to the ideological battle lines of the new Middle East, including promising openings and awakenings too often followed by disappointment and repression. She describes autocrats, democrats, and theocrats skirmishing in increasingly unpredictable ways." --Senator Dick Lugar, Senate Foreign Relations Committee "A compelling account of a turbulent region whose future is inescapably bound to our own. Anyone who wants to understand the seismic forces at work in this critical arena would be well advised to carefully read Dreams and Shadows." --Sen. Joe Biden, Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee "Very rarely is our world so faithfully captured in print as it is here. The Middle East in recent decades has only become more violent and complex. Robin Wright’s insights and analyses are critical for any sensible understanding of what is happening. Her greatest contribution is to grasp the deep currents of hope, humanity and dignity that anchor the often turbulent societies of the region. This book is essential reading." "Written in the best style of a veteran traveler and expert, Dreams and Shadows tells the story of the world's most volatile area, going through its most profound changes after decades of stagnation. Robin's journey among reformers and reactionaries, clerics and democracy advocates, is a necessary reference to anyone interested in understanding the Middle East's undercurrents - and it taught me quite a lot about our neighborhood." --Aluf Benn, diplomatic editor of the Israeli daily Haaretz "A lucid and comprehensive look at tumultuous events that have shaped the Middle East and will continue to chart its future. Robin Wright provides a rich tapestry of information and insight that is enjoyable to read and will also go a long way in providing understanding of the Middle East and the challenges that it presents U.S. foreign policy." "Robin Wright brings her enormous knowledge of the Middle East, gained over years of reporting, to narrate how the region is undergoing enormous social change brought on by technology and globalization, and why, despite Iraq, democracy remains on the region's agenda.” "The best of all possible worlds: An old hand guides us through the changes in post-9/11 Middle East, and is able to sort out in a sober, smart way what is really going on." --Thomas E. Ricks, author FIASCO: The American Military Adventure in Iraq |
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