The Middle East Crisis Factory : Tyranny, Resilience and Resistance

**‘A proud, angry and hopeful rallying cry for democracy and human rights in the Middle East and North Africa. ... Baghdadi and Gatnash provide an excellent primer on the history of the region, firmly rooting its current woes in the colonial experience.’ — __The Irish Times__** Why is the Middle East a crisis factory, and how can it be fixed? What does the future look like for its 500 million people? And what role should the West play? Iyad El-Baghdadi and Ahmed Gatnash tell the story of the modern Middle East as a series of broken promises. They chart the entrenchment of tyranny, terrorism and foreign intervention, showing how these systems of oppression simultaneously feed off and battle each other. Exploring demographic, economic and social trends, the authors paint a picture of the region’s prospects that is alarming yet hopeful. Finally, they present ambitious and thoughtful ideas that reject both aggressive military intervention and cynical deals with dictators. This book, written by two children of the region, is about the failures of history, and the reasons for hope. __The Middle East Crisis Factory__ offers a bold vision for those seeking peace and democracy in the Middle East. Why is the Middle East a crisis factory, and how can it be fixed? What does the future look like for its 500 million people? Should the West strong-arm it towards democracy, or leave it alone to its tyrants and terrorists? Iyad El-Baghdadi and Ahmed Gatnash explore the entrenchment of tyranny, terrorism and foreign intervention in the Middle East, showing how these systems of oppression superficially feed off each other, even as they battle each other. They assess the region's prospects in light of demographic, economic and social trends, painting a picture that is both alarming and hopeful. Finally, they present an ambitious and thoughtful manifesto to fix the crisis factory, without resorting either to aggressive military intervention or to non-interventionist wishful thinking. This is a book about the failures of Arab history, the reality of its horizons, and the reasons for hope. Written by children of the region, whose lives have been shaped by its turmoil and who care deeply about its future, The Middle East Crisis Factory offers a bold vision for those seeking peace and democracy in the Middle East. "Why is the Middle East a crisis factory, and how can it be fixed? What does the future look like for its 500 million people? And what role should the West play? Iyad El-Baghdadi and Ahmed Gatnash tell the story of the modern Middle East as a series of broken promises. They chart the entrenchment of tyranny, terrorism and foreign intervention, showing how these systems of oppression simultaneously feed off and battle each other. Exploring demographic, economic and social trends, the authors paint a picture of the region's prospects that is alarming yet hopeful. Finally, they present ambitious and thoughtful ideas that reject both aggressive military intervention and cynical deals with dictators. This book, written by two children of the region, is about the failures of history, and the reasons for hope. The Middle East Crisis Factory offers a bold vision for those seeking peace and democracy in the Middle East."-- Publisher description