A Path Out of the Desert: A Grand Strategy for America in the Middle East.

First Edition; First Printing indicated. Very Near Fine in Very Near Fine DJ: Both book and DJ show only minute indications of use. The Book shows a touch of wear around the heel of the backstrip; else flawless; the binding is square and secure; the text clean. The DJ shows only the mildest rubbing; the price is unclipped. Overall, very close to 'As New'. NOT a Remainder, Book-Club, or Ex-Library. 8vo. 539pp. Hardback with DJ. On the subject of what the US should do in the Middle East, Ken Pollack has written perhaps the most ambitious and memorable book in recent years. Pollack acknowldedges the magnitude of redirecting American policy and constantly reminds his audience that it will not be easy and that it cannot happen overnight, but that it is absolutely necessary. One of his main criticisms of US policy in the Middle East to date is that we've tried to do 'too much with too little resources, time, and effort.' Pollack then sets out to identify America's interests in the Middle East and how our policy can protect those interests without selling out America's ideals. An important aspect of Pollack's discussion of America's interests in the Middle East is that he doesn't confuse them with the threats we face from the region, such as terrorism. He speaks of the concept of stability and while many of our interests are served by the preservation of stability, it does not mean stability itself is one of America's interests. On that subject, Pollack identifies oil, Israel, our Arab allies, and nonproliferation as America's interests. Pollack makes convincing arguments on each of these topics, but does so in a way that doesn't adhere to any singular ideological framework. For example, he recognizes that in the short term, the preventing the sudden loss of oil production is absolutely in America's (and the world's) interests, but that keeping the price of oil low is not. On the matter of Israel, Pollack makes a very convincing argument that while America's partnership does cause problems for the US, it's not nearly as problematic as it's commonly portrayed to be. For example, the relationship has zero impact on oil exports, it hasn't kept the US from having strong relationships with Arab governments, and there isn't much we want from Arab states that we aren't already getting that could be achieved by cutting ties to Israel. Another intersting aspect of Pollack's argument is that he credits the Bush administration's intent in the region, and that at least on paper, the ideas behind these policies should be continued, it's the execution of the policies that need adjusting. Speaking to that topic, Pollack devotes chapters at the end of his book to Iraq, Iran, and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. A Path Out of the Desert is an accessible and compelling read. Pollack pulls no punches here.he lays out what America's long term interests in the region are, and how we can go about protecting them. He reminds his readers throughout the book that change is coming to the Middle East whether we want it to or not, and that the US can either sit back and hope that change benefits us, or we can engage the region in a more intelligent way. First Edition; First Printing indicated.…