Dreams and Shadows

The subtitle of this book by Robin Wright is “The Future of the Middle East.” There are chapters on the Palestinians, Egypt (two chapters), Lebanon (two chapters), Syria, Iran (two chapters), Morocco, and Iraq. The book is well-written and is based on Robin’s many years of first hand experience in the Middle East. The book is like a primer on the Middle East that focuses on both the opportunities and obstacles which confront democracy. There are some wonderful sentences in the book, such as: “Petroleum and democracy do not mix well” (p. 9). Or the quoted comment that the Arab world is developing, but that for now “the trend is toward participatory despotism” (p. 8).