Book description
In Peace Out of Reach, Stephen Eric Bronner offers an intriguing
analysis and eyewitness account of the political and ideological
conflicts plaguing the Middle East. Sharply critical of the United
States' policies in Afghanistan and Iraq and concerned about our
nation's declining credibility throughout the world, Bronner examines
the unexplored possibilities and recurrent roadblocks in the struggle
for peace. Whether visiting academics in Iran, refugees in Palestine,
or the president of Syria, Bronner seeks to listen and learn. These
experiences have shaped Bronner's understanding of how the political
crises in the Middle East have dramatically influenced Western
politics and culture. Peace Out of Reach also investigates the
extraordinary controversies generated by the publication of
blasphemous cartoons of the prophet Mohammed, the religious
conservatism of Pope Benedict XVI, the character of contemporary
anti-Semitism, and the connection between human rights and personal
faith. Peace Out of Reach is both a study in foreign policy and a
philosophical inquiry that raises profound ethical questions about the
world and the United States' role in it. It links experience with
erudition and objective analysis with strategic proposals for change.
This book will undoubtedly resonate with all people seeking an
alternative to the discredited policies of the past. It contributes
mightily to the cultivation of a cosmopolitan and democratic politics.
"Stephen Eric Bronner's "Peace Out of Reach" is
both a deeply personal account and a careful analysis of the crises
currently threatening the cradle of civilization. Whether you are for
or against continued or escalated military action in the Middle East,
Bronner's essays can open your mind to new ideas." -- booksuread. com
Stephen Eric Bronner, a well-known peace activist, is
Distinguished Professor of Political Science at Rutgers University and
a member of the Executive Committee of the Center for Middle Eastern
Studies. The senior editor of Logos: A Journal of Modern Society and
Culture, he is the author of numerous books dealing with modern
politics and culture, including Blood in the Sand: Imperial Fantasies,
Right-Wing Ambitions, and the Erosion of American Democracy; A Rumor
About the Jews: Reflections on Antisemitism and The Protocols of the
Learned Elders of Zion; Imagining the Possible: Radical Politics for
Conservative Times; and Reclaiming the Enlightenment: Toward a
Politics of Radical Engagement.
