Beyond America's Grasp: a Century of Failed Diplomacy in the Middle East

Middle East expert Stephen P. Cohen traces U. S. policy in the region from the breakup of the Ottoman Empire to the present. A century ago, there emerged two dominant views regarding the uses of America?s power: Woodrow Wilson urged America to promote national freedom and self-determination?in stark contrast to his predecessor, Theodore Roosevelt, who had advocated a vigorous foreign policy based on national self-interest.

In concise, pointed chapters, Cohen offers a lucid primer on the complexities of the region and an eye-opening commentary on how different Middle East Countries have struggled to define themselves in the face of America's stated idealism and its actual realpolitik.