Dreams and Shadows: The Future of the Middle East

Despite having lost several of her friends in the 1983 US Embassy bombing in Beirut, Wright (The Last Great Revolution: Turmoil and Transformation in Iran) is guardedly optimistic for the Middle East's future: ""a generation after the Beirut bombing, Islamic extremism is no longer the most important, interesting, or dynamic force in the Middle East."" Her observations, of a ""budding culture of change""-even, perhaps, a ""renaissance""-are bolstered by platinum credentials; for more than 30 years, Wright has been covering the region for major American publications including The New York Times, Atlantic Monthly and Foreign Affairs. She illuminates her assessment with stories of the new ""voices in the region"" pushing for a more open, democratic society: activists, reformers, political leaders and ordinary citizens (like an Egyptian ""middle-aged soccer mom"" so outraged to learn of female government agents beating female demonstrators that she became an activist). Wright also tackles the big targets; though a staunch supporter of Israel, Wright sees the potential for reconciliation between Hamas and Fatah, in an effort to maintain democracy in Palestine, as a positive harbinger of change for the entire region. Further interviews, anecdotes, a crystalline sense of the area's multifarious history and a clear message-practical, progressive change requires ""sorting out the past or at least trying to move beyond it""-make this a vital, compelling and surprisingly uplifting piece of reporting.