cover image Beyond America's Grasp: A Century of Failed Diplomacy in the Middle East

Beyond America's Grasp: A Century of Failed Diplomacy in the Middle East

Stephen P. Cohen, . . Farrar, Straus & Giroux, $25 (284pp) ISBN 978-0-374-28124-3

In what should become required reading for those interested in the Middle East, Cohen, director of the Institute of Middle East Peace and Development, provides a richly detailed history of diplomacy in the region and its implications for current relations. The book begins with Woodrow Wilson's idealistic initiatives, which germinated into a “confused legacy [that] continues to be at the heart of the problem between the United States and the Middle East.” Cohen takes a tour of major players and key events, including Egypt and its nationalist movement, Iran under British imperialism, the roots of a Saudi-U.S. alliance and the evolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Cohen provides broad suggestions for contemporary diplomacy, generally emphasizing the importance of avoiding a “one-size-fits-all” policy. He discusses policies in the region of both Bush administrations, and remains timely in presaging the new administration's diplomatic message. When Cohen concludes, “To overcome despair over these relationships, which is now so common, requires the elaboration in our imagination of a best-case scenario,” he sounds prescient, and the rigorously researched history he provides make his words ring true. (Nov.)