The Arab Center: The Promise of Moderation | Marwan Muasher | A Fabulous Journey Through Jordan's...

The Arab Center: The Promise of Moderation | Marwan Muasher | Must read

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The Arab Center: T...

	The Arab Center: The Promise of Moderation Marwan Muasher Yale University Press, 2008 - 336 pages average customer review:based on 7 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

Marwan Muasher, a prominent Jordanian diplomat, has been instrumental in shaping 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. Here 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 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. He examines why the Arab Center has made so little progress and which Arab, Israeli, and American policies need rethinking. Part memoir and part analysis, this book reveals the human side of the Arab-Israeli conflict. It 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.

(20080529)

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A Fabulous Journey Through Jordan's Modern History

A very detailed and easy to read chronicle of recent events in Jordan's history. Mr. Muasher has done a phenomenal job in providing a detailed account of these events. His sincerity, devotion and love for his country is very evident in every part of the book. I am proud to have a fellow Jordanian produce such a magnificent document. All of Jordan should be proud of Mr. Muasher's accomplishments and contributions to the peace process in the Middle East. God Bless!

Must read

Dr. Marwan Muasher's compelling message in The Arab Center: the Promise of Moderation is a must read-especially for American and Western policymakers and academics. The Arab Center injects a much needed dose of reality about the challenges and opportunities in the Middle East today and where it is heading in the future.

A rare account of Arab diplomacy and the intricacies of backstage developments and deliberations that have shaped Jordan's foreign and domestic policies as well as regional initiatives, Musher's book is what every student of Middle East politics should study thoroughly. As an Arab Political Science and international affairs student in Western academia, I can attest to the paucity of Arab history books for Western consumption and study. I can only hope to see more Arab leaders, thinkers, politicians and diplomats follow Muasher's path in rebuilding the Arab world's historical narrative and thereby globalizing the message of the Arab Center on the international arena. History cannot be recorded if its leaders do not assume ownership of passing on the torch of their knowledge, expertise and lessons learnt.

Mushaer's account also presents a guide on how you can seize the moment and walk against the tide to make a difference. The author unconsciously offers the reader a formula for leadership in diplomacy: daft psychological skills, creative thinking, the ability to contain and challenge hard-nose bargaining and the art of communications.

My favorite parts of the book were those laden with personal anecdotes and descriptions of backstage developments and the decision-making processes. My understanding of how things work behind the scenes and why certain policy positions are shaped have been truly illuminated by these descriptions and analysis. Also, The psychological dimension Muasher illustrates about his time in Israel as Jordan's first Ambassador resonates with every Arab upon his/her first visit to Israel and the Palestinian Territories. It is about breaking psychological and socio-cultural barriers and as Muasher eloquently says it is about takings leaps of faith in the pursuit of peace and prosperity for generations to come.

As he shares his professional and personal journey across twenty years of diplomacy and public service, Muasher weaves together a gripping paradigm that clearly defines and describes the political and socioeconomic dynamics in the Arab world today; The Arab Center. Muasher not only coins a novel formula, he identifies the criteria for membership- moderation for peace, prosperity and pluralism. He also identifies the Israeli, American and European counterparts with which the Arab centrists can work with as well as the rejectionists which Arab centrists will have to challenge. His argument about maintaining the Center and strengthening its cause for moderation is logical, pragmatic but also passionate: Arabs cannot cherry pick the pieces of moderation that best-suit them. Rather, he says emphatically, the Arab Center rests on two pillars of moderation: peace and reform. The Center cannot stand on one leg for too long.

Finally, Muasher's concluding chapter is most compelling. He connects the dots so clearly and builds his case so cogently about the past, present and future of the region. Failure to end the lingering Palestinian-Israeli conflict, establish a lasting peace AND failure to embrace cultural and political diversity and to reform is a recipe for disaster for the region and all the stake-holders involved:Arabs, Israelis, Americans and the West alike. I only hope his audience heeds his message.

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Very interesting book for the period the author is covering

A book that is very useful to all people that they have a particular interest for the Middle East and the Israeli-Palestinial conflict.

A unique analysis of the Middle-East crisis

The Arab Center: The Promise of Moderation
This is probably the most comprehensive and objective approach to the Middle-East situation.
The author - Dr. Marvan Muasher - has been in a unique position to study the peace process between Palestine and Israel: as Jordan Foreign Minister, a political position, but also as Jordan Ambassador to Israel, a diplomatic position, his experience is diverse and well informed, taking the Israeli views into consideration as well as his own Arab understanding of the many facets of this long-lasting crisis.
The language is clear and - as a former Jordan Ambassador to the US - Dr. Muasher's presentation is intended to be easily understood by American readers, scholars, students or even uninformed members of the civil society at large.
Highly recommended to anyone interested in the Middle-East Peace process.

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Very interesting to read