I was so depressed while watching the actions that are occurring in Gaza these days (January 2009) that I was thrilled to find that this book was not just educational but hopeful! Jimmy Carter had worked on trying to broker a real peace in the Middle East both during and after his tenure as president, and he has a great deal to say about what is possible if there is a real effort on all parts to bring honest effort to give both the Israelis and the Palestinians both peace and dignity. The quote from the book that scares me the most, and it can be applied to both sides, is credited to the historian Tacitus of ancient Rome: "They created desolation and call it peace." I hope for better things.
With all the chaos happening as a result of events in the Middle East, I wanted to refresh and update
what I learned in my International Politics class in 1984. "Palestine: Peace Not Aparthied" by President Jimmy Carter, though dated (it was published in 2006) serves as a good refresher. From a historical perspective, conflict in the specific region of east Mediterranean has been going nearly as 'man' became organized into tribes/cities/states. "Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid" focuses on the past 90 years, and paints a different picture of the undelicate relationships that exist than I recalled.
This perspective serves as a counterbalance to the common rallying cries that are in the common press, particularly with regards to the nature of relations with the United States and Israel. Easy read, good supporting materials [maps, transcripts of documents] although repetitive on some points. Now to find some quality material to close the gap from 2006 to today. [3.5/5]
what I learned in my International Politics class in 1984. "Palestine: Peace Not Aparthied" by President Jimmy Carter, though dated (it was published in 2006) serves as a good refresher. From a historical perspective, conflict in the specific region of east Mediterranean has been going nearly as 'man' became organized into tribes/cities/states. "Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid" focuses on the past 90 years, and paints a different picture of the undelicate relationships that exist than I recalled.
This perspective serves as a counterbalance to the common rallying cries that are in the common press, particularly with regards to the nature of relations with the United States and Israel. Easy read, good supporting materials [maps, transcripts of documents] although repetitive on some points. Now to find some quality material to close the gap from 2006 to today. [3.5/5]
