Beyond the Storm: A Gulf Crisis Reader

The editors of this collection of 30 essays have assembled a distinguished cast of dissenting voices, from American democratic socialists like Barbara Ehrenreich to former Arab League ambassador to the U.N. Clovis Maksoud. Said's foreword, which is forthright and even-handed, notes that ignorance runs deep on both sides (the U.S. and the Arab world), and that nowhere in the Gulf region is there serious academic study of the U.S. Several other essays stand out. Bennis ( From Stones to Statehood: The Palestinian Uprising ) argues convincingly that the U.N. essentially served as a rubber stamp for U.S. policy. Israeli activist Stanley Cohen offers a particularly insightful and compassionate evaluation of the reaction of the Israeli peace movement to the war. Even more useful is Laura Flanders's thoughtful dissection of the role of the media, with a telling description of the abdication of responsibility by television journalists who allowed themselves to become cheerleaders for administration policy. A comprehensive chronology is included, as is the text of salient U.N. resolutions. Moushabeck is Middle East editor at Olive Branch. (Dec.)