Dreams and Shadows Hardback - 2008

Media reviews

'Few Middle East observers have a keener eye for the region than Wright, and she is a talented trend spotter. Two decades ago her Sacred Rage foreshadowed the appeal of militant Islam and the challengeit posed. With Dreams and Shadows she illuminates, in riveting fashion, the hopeful political personalities and developments in what many mistakenly see as the uninterrupted bleakness of the Middle East. Her insights drawn from vast experience, a remarkable array of Middle Eastern contacts, and an unblinking sense of realism are cause for cautious optimism.'
Representative Tom Lantos, Chairman, House Committee on Foreign Affairs

'Dreams and Shadows offers a panoramic perspective on the prospects of change in the Middle East. Wright brings to life an array of forces, voices, and ideas both inspiring and troubling in an engaging political travelogue. Readers will come away with a better understanding of the region's rich past, a sense of its current stirrings, and a view into what may lie ahead.'
Former National Security Adviser Lieutenant General Brent Scowcroft

'A compelling account of a turbulent region whose future is inescapably bound to our own. Anyone who wants to understand the seismic forces at work would be well advised to read Dreams and Shadows.'
Senator Joseph Biden, Chairman, Senate Foreign Relations Committee

'Very rarely is our world so faithfully captured. The Middle East in recent decades has only become more complex. Wright's insights and analyses are critical for any sensible understanding of what is happening. Her greatest contribution is to grasp the deep currents of hope, humanity, and dignity that anchor the often turbulent societies of the region. This book is essential reading.'
Rami G. Khouri, syndicated columnist, Beirut's Daily Star

'Written in the best style of a veteran traveler and expert, Dreams and Shadows tells the story of the world'smost volatile area, going through its most profound changes after decades of stagnation. Wright's journeyamong reformers and reactionaries, clerics and democracy advocates is a necessary reference toanyone interested in understanding the Middle East's undercurrents and it taught me quite a lot aboutour neighborhood.'
Aluf Benn, diplomatic editor of the Israeli daily Haaretz

'Insightful and passionate. Wright is well aware of the dilemmas facing the Middle East. But she also reminds us that we need not resort to military force and violence or resign ourselves to compromise with extremism and tyranny. Since tyranny and extremism as well as democracy and freedom are not defined by geographical, national, religious, or ethnic boundaries, hope lies in the aspirations of those (our true allies) in the region who against all odds are fighting for pluralism, openness, and human rights.'
Azar Nafisi, author of Reading Lolita in Tehran

"Fascinating reading for anyone who likes true human drama. Only Wright could have written Dreams and Shadows because only Wright has traveled so widely, interviewed such diverse leaders, and brought so much wisdom to analyzing the region's many-sided puzzles. This volume, full of mesmerizing detail and large truths, sets a new standard for scholarship on the modern Middle East."
-Secretary Madeleine Albright

"Robin Wright brings her enormous knowledge of the Middle East, gained over years of reporting, to narrate how the region is undergoing enormous social change brought on by technology and globalization, and why, despite Iraq, democracy remains on the region's agenda."
-- Francis Fukuyama, Johns Hopkins University Professor of International Political Economy and author of America at the Crossroads

"In Dreams and Shadows, Robin Wright offers a compelling account of the political contours that are defining the modern Middle East. Drawing upon her decades of travel and reporting from the region, Wright reveals the undercurrents of the latest fundamental searching in Palestine, Iraq, and Lebanon, as well as the labyrinthine politics of Egypt, Morocco, Syria, Iran, and others. With her impressive access to the region's political and opinion leaders, Wright brings us to the ideological battle lines of the new Middle East, including promising openings and awakenings too often followed by disappointment and repression. She describes autocrats, democrats, and theocrats skirmishing in increasingly unpredictable ways."
-- U.S. Sen. Dick Lugar (R-IN), Republican Leader of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

"Dreams and Shadows is a lucid and comprehensive look at tumultuous events that have shaped the Middle East and will continue to chart its future. Relying on thirty five years of reporting Robin Wright provides a rich tapestry of information and insight that is enjoyable to read and will also go a long way in providing understanding of the Middle East and the challenges that it presents U.S. foreign policy."
--Vali Nasr, author of The Shia Revival: How Conflicts within Islam will Shape the Future

"This is the best of all possible worlds: An old hand guides us through the changes in post-9/11 Middle East, and is able to sort out in a sober, smart way what is really going on."
-Thomas E. Ricks, author of FIASCO: The American Military Adventure in Iraq