Recommended by Robert Satloff:

Arab principals rarely write their memoirs, and such books are even rarer in English. In this light, The Arab Center, Marwan Muasher’s memoir of his public service, is wonderfully refreshing—even beyond its often fascinating content and its courageous call for moderation in a region that knows too little of it. The “center” of the title refers to a political center, neither Islamist right nor Nasserist left, but it is a subtle reference to the fact that Muasher—Jordan’s first ambassador to Israel, an ambassador to Washington, a foreign minister and a deputy prime minister—had a center-aisle seat throughout a turbulent period in Jordanian and wider Middle East politics. That inside look iinto a largely closed world is reason enough to commend this thoughtful book.

---

Product Description

(20080529)

---

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #628782 in Books
• Published on: 2008-06-28
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 336 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9780300123005
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
• Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices

Review
"This book is a must read to understand how to address the challenges facing the Middle East today." President Bill Clinton "In this painstakingly fair-minded and sensible memoir Muasher tries to show why there is still no solution to the Palestinan-Israeli imbroglio... His tome is a litany of disappointment and frustration, studded with plenty of useful insights and anecdotes. Yet it is not without hope; the outline of a two-state solution is still there for all to see. The next American president would do well to peruse Mr. Muasher's offering." The Economist "Muasher's book raises what may be the most damning criticism of the Bush administration's Middle East policy - that it has unwittingly undercut the very people the United States wanted most to help." David Ignatius, Washington Post"

Review
"To be constructive, rational, and moderate in the Arab Middle East may be the most dangerous approach of all; Muasher therefore exhibits courage as well as intellectual energy applied toward making a positive contribution."-­Charles Hill, Diplomat-in-Residence, Yale University (Charles Hill 20080514)

"Must reading for those who recognize that a comprehensive strategic approach to the Middle East is indispensable to a more stable and secure U.S. and world."-Mara Rudman, former Deputy Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs and Chief of Staff for the National Security Council (Mara Rudman 20080529)

"Few Arab thinkers are better positioned to discuss the challenge to moderation in the Middle East, and I hope that Marwan Muasher's distinguished voice of reason and pragmatism will be heard well beyond our region."-His Majesty King Abdullah II of Jordan (His Majesty King Abdullah II of Jordan 20080515)

"This book is a must read to understand how to address the challenges facing the Middle East today."-President Bill Clinton (President Bill Clinton 20080828)

"Marwan Muasher is not just a witness, but also an active participant and a shaper of realities in the Middle East. His book is indeed a valuable and unique contribution to the field with insights, inside information, and a superb grasp of history in the making. Such an authentic Arab voice from within, writing in English to engage a Western readership, is an opportunity not to be missed. I have developed the greatest respect for his integrity, courage, and humanity-precisely those qualities that make his book exceptional."-Hanan Ashrawi (Hanan Ashrawi 20080707)

"A fascinating inside look by a 50-year-old Arab statesman, the first to write a book in English, who was privy to all the secret machinations since the age of 30."-Arnaud de Borchgrave, UPI Editor-at-Large (Arnaud de Borchgrave UPI 20080916)

"Excellent."-Al Kamen, Washington Post (Al Kamen Washington Post 20080821)

"[This is] one of the most important books on the Middle East, and is required reading for everyone interested in finding solutions to the many problems the region faces today. . . .Arab leaders, and America's next president, would do well to heed the experiences and advice of an Arab statesman."-Scott MacLeod,Time's Middle East Blog by Cairo Bureau Chief (Scott MacLeod Time 20081020)

"Muasher's book raises what may be the most damning criticism of the Bush administration's Middle East policy - that it has unwittingly undercut the very people the United States wanted most to help."-David Ignatius, Washington Post (David Ignatius Washington Post )

"A gem of memoir as history, The Arab Center traces the torturous negotiations among Israel, the Palestinians, the Arab states, and the outside world from 1991 to 2004, with well-chosen documents appended."-L. Carl Brown, Foreign Affairs (L. Carl Brown Foreign Affairs )

". . . One of [The Arab Center's] important contributions . . . is to question the meaning of an Arab 'moderate' and the selective application of moderation to a single issue-the pursuit of a two-state solution to the Arab-Israeli conflict. . . ."-Roula Khalaf, Financial Times (Roula Khalaf Financial Times )

"The Arab Center . . . is worth reading for both the valor and the failures it describes. . . . It has the credibility, factual specificity and reflective, often self-critical, analysis that official government statements and authorized histories usually lack."-Rami G. Khouri, Middle East Times (Rami G. Khouri Middle East Times )

"In this painstakingly fair-minded and sensible memoir [Muasher] tries to show why there is still no solution to the Palestinian-Israeli imbroglio. . . . The next American president would do well to peruse Mr. Muasher's offering."-The Economist (The Economist )

"The Arab Center is in part a political memoir, in part an agenda for a solution to today's eight-year stagnation of the Arab-Israeli peace process. . . . Muasher makes a strenuous call for US reinvestment in the peace process. Already blueprints are in place, he feels and time is running out."-Colin Thubron, New York Review of Books (Colin Thubron New York Review of Books )

About the Author

---

Customer Reviews

The reference to read on modern Middle East politics
A reference of authority on Middle East Politics, terrorism, and hope through modernization.

This book is by far the best of what has been written about Modern Middle East Politics and current affairs. It takes the reader through a journey of the most important political events in the Middle East and the Arab world that affected the local scene and the international community in the past decade and a half, including the peace process, global terrorism, and political reform. Skillfully, Muasher links the current state of affairs with the cultural, religious, and historical dimensions of the region and the people, providing a thorough understanding of the roots and causes of local politics and its influence on global affairs.

Furthermore, the author's vast experience with the peace process as the first ambassador of Jordan to Israel, the ambassador of his country to the US, and Jordan's Foreign Minister, together with his leadership role in the political, economic and social reform efforts in the Arab world provide a unique internal perspective on the future of the Middle East. Muasher provides valuable insights on the ongoing struggle between the traditional sociopolitical forces and the progressive/moderate camp and its effect on democratic reform,international politics, and the relationship of the Arab world with the West.

The book is an easy read and proficiently simplifies to the reader very complicated cultural, historic, and religious issues and presents them in a very informative way.

Muasher represent a breath of a fresh air in the Middle East Politics. This is a MUST READ BOOK.

What an interesting read.
For those of us who follow Arab politics closely, I found that this book has many new things to say. Marwan Muasher has been privy to three unique situations. (A) He was the first Jordanian Ambassador to Israel. (B) He was one among very few to be around the late King Hussein during the last few weeks of his life (intrigues over the succession issue). (C) He is intimately familiar with details of the many peace process attempts with Israel.
More like a personal diary, it is full anecdotes that show the human side of his time with King Hussein and as ambassador. It is an easy read and has good insights into the psyche of the Arab and the Israeli political players.
The last part of the book also has some interesting things to say. It is a candid non apologetic exposé on reform in the Arab world--not academic but fairly analytical. He talks about his experience (and frustrations) during the formulation of a document and roadmap for reform in Jordan--liberalization of press, democratization of the election process, curbing nepotism, the institutionalization of a merit based public sector, gender and economic parity--and the challenges of this process. This document was presented as the National Agenda in 2005, and to date, that is what it remains, an agenda. Some themes of discussion in this part of the book are the resistance of an old social guard to any change, the dynamics of the political/economic elites in the Arab world and a view on the political role of the different religious movements in the region. A must book to have.

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.