Wednesday, August 31, 2005
2:00 pm – 3:30 pm
Rayburn House Office Building
Room 2168 (“The Gold Room”)

Seating is limited. If you wish to attend, or for more information, please send an e-mail to: info@realisticforeignpolicy.org.

About Sandstorm: Policy Failure in the Middle East
As Leon Hadar argues in this new book, the time has come for a serious debate on the future involvement of the United States in the Middle East and this original and provocative analysis challenges the prevailing wisdom of the Washington foreign policy establishment. Hadar provides a sweeping reexamination of the conceptual bases of American policy and proposes a strategy of "constructive disengagement" from the region, a policy of benign neglect as a way of promoting the interests of the United States as well as those of the people of the Middle East. This bold and innovative critique will inject new energy into the policy debate.

What others have to say:
"Leon Hadar's Sandstorm provides a tour-de-force of America's past and current engagement in the Middle East and correctly argues that neither neoconservative idealism nor left-ish sentimentalism will fix America's hemorrhaging Middle East problem."
--Steven Clemons, Executive Vice President, New America Foundation

"Hadar makes the lucid and much needed argument that Americans have better choices in the Middle East than the commonplace Beltway establishment options of 'Empire' and 'Empire Lite.'" --Scott McConnell, Executive Editor, The American Conservative

"Leon Hadar bravely predicted many of the consequences that would flow from U.S. involvement in the first Gulf War and was almost alone is doing so. Now he has written another bold book on Middle East issues. He should be read, in part because so few others are willing to explore the issues he tackles." --Charles William Maynes, President, Eurasia Foundation