After working for over two years wrinting speeches for the Israel mission to the UN and Ariel Sharon, Gregory Levey may know something about the Middle East. Why not getting one step further and finally doing the thing, the big one thing everyone seems to dream about - when they don´t have too much work to do: Let´s make peace in the Middle East. The peace...
Outside the region, especially in the North American realm, there is a certain ´fervency and emotion´ associated with the discussions on and about the Middle East. With six months available to fix this, Levey is getting ready.
At least he has enough sense of humour to go through it.
How to Make Peace in the Middle East in Six Months or Less Without Leaving Your Apartment is the account of those efforts. His freelance diplomacy efforts brought him in weird company, from Second Life ´activists´ of all colours to Christian Evangelists shaking hard as they dance for Zion. He is talking, or at least trying to, with everyone that can be of any help: from political pundits, former state secretaries and presidents to the grocery store vendor downstairs. Not all - or many of them - are keen to share their secrets so he is left with some really strange witnesses/sources. And there is no peace in the Middle East at the end of all this.
The accounts are hilarious and the book reads by itself. There is not too much to suffer or meditate or develop about it. Why writing about this deadlock? Why not? Is there something new we know about the famous ´peace process´? Don´t expect. Do you really need to read this book? Not necessarily, unless you really have too much time on your sleeve. But in this case, you can start your own freelance diplomacy project, obviously, about...the Middle East Peace Process.
Rating: 2 stars
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