The Arab Center The Promise of Moderation Marwan Muasher

Marwan Muasher, a prominent Jordanian diplomat, has participated in high-level Middle East peace efforts for nearly twenty years. He served as Jordan'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. In this enlightening book 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.Muasher's insights into internal Arab politics and the successes and failures of the Arab Center (Jordan, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia) 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. Part memoir and part analysis, Muasher's book reveals the human side of the Arab-Israeli conflict while also examining why the Arab Center has made so little progress and which Arab, Israeli, and American policies need rethinking. This book is essential reading for all who share the hope that moderate, pragmatic Arab voices will be heard in today's vitriolic debates over how to achieve an enduring peace in the Middle East.

Marwan Muasher has held many high-level positions within the government of Jordan, most recently as senator.

"This book is a must read to understand how to address the challenges facing the Middle East today." President Bill Clinton "In this painstakingly fair-minded and sensible memoir Muasher tries to show why there is still no solution to the Palestinan-Israeli imbroglio... His tome is a litany of disappointment and frustration, studded with plenty of useful insights and anecdotes. Yet it is not without hope; the outline of a two-state solution is still there for all to see. The next American president would do well to peruse Mr. Muasher's offering." The Economist "Muasher's book raises what may be the most damning criticism of the Bush administration's Middle East policy - that it has unwittingly undercut the very people the United States wanted most to help." David Ignatius, Washington Post"

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