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Turmoil in the Middle East has escalated to unprecedented levels in the twenty-first century. Opposing cultural, religious, and political forces have resumed old conflicts and spawned new ones, fighting with words and images as well as bombs and bullets. The path toward peace and reconciliation seems further away and less clear than ever.

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. Bronner's insights into Middle Eastern tensions are significantly enhanced by his extensive travels in the region. Equally informed by scholarly research and conscientious engagement, Bronner critically evaluates the motivations and actions of the powerful players on the Middle Eastern stage. Peace Out of Reach challenges policymakers to build bridges, recognize common interests, foster genuine diplomacy, and seek realistically navigable roads to lasting peace, rather than resort to propaganda, threats, and military actions.

Stephen Eric Bronner is Distinguished Professor of Political Science at Rutgers University. He is the author of numerous books, including Blood in the Sand: Imperial Fantasies, Right-Wing Ambitions, and the Erosion of American Democracy, and coeditor of The Logos Reader: Rational Radicalism and the Future of Politics.

Reviews:

"Peace Out of Reach is one man's journey, a travel story searching amid modern history and the ruins of past policies for a new and relevant 'roadmap' of recommendations that might reconcile a region."-Michael Thomas Kuchinsky, Human Rights & Human Welfare

"Combines ethics with realism, and personal experience with political insight, in dealing with the crises of our time. As a human rights advocate, and someone who has seen the horror and tragedy of war first hand, I highly recommend it. This book is a great read."--Bianca Jagger, a member of the Executive Director's Leadership Council for Amnesty International and the advisory committee of Human Rights Watch America

"Fascinating. A well informed journey through the contours of U.S. foreign and military policy, the Middle East cauldron, the rapidly changing political situations across several countries in the region, and a variety of cultural and political representation of the contemporary crisis. This is a significant piece of work. A solid scholarly contribution to literature not only in the area of international relations but to theoretical understandings of political culture and political ideology in many settings."--Carl Boggs, author of Imperial Delusions: American Militarism and the Endless War

"This books combines a journalistic liveliness with scholarly gravitas: a difficult mix for anyone to achieve, yet so well accomplished by Stephen Bronner. His provocative political analysis makes this journey through the Middle East highly engaging and enriching."--Micheline Ishay, author of The History of Human Rights

"This book offers an insightful engagement with contemporary developments in the Middle East and beyond. It promises to enrich both the academic debate and the political discourse by presenting an analysis that reflects on norms, events, and more important, on the relationship between normative commitments and pragmatic considerations."--Michael Forman, author of Nationalism and the International Labor Movement: The Idea of the Nation in Anarchist and Socialist Theory

"An impressive example of using the realist sensibility in pursuit of the democratic project. Readable, serious, and engaged, it shows why political theorists should address political problems--both are enriched."--Michael MacDonald, Frederick L. Schuman Chair of International Relations, Williams College

"Bronner offers a much deeper analysis of the crises engulfing the Middle East than is available through conventional explanations. The author's recent extensive travels in the cradle of civilization, his astute observations, and his scholarly research have helped him write a unique and precious book. It provides new avenues of thought and innovative public policies for peace, regional development, and democracy."--Dr. Hooshang Amirahmadi, Founder and President of the American-Iranian Council, Inc.