Conversations with Terrorists: Middle East Leaders on Politics, Violence and Empire

Conversations with Terrorists: Middle East Leaders on Politics, Violence and Empire / An Evening with Reese Erlich

Peabody Award winning journalist Reese Erlich returns to Walnut Creek to talk about his new book, Conversations with Terrorists: Middle East Leaders on Politics, Violence and Empire.

Drawing on original research and firsthand interviews, Conversations with Terrorists offers critical portraits of six Middle Eastern leaders who are sometimes labeled as terrorists: Syrian president Bashar Al-Assad, Hamas top leader Khaled Meshal, Israeli politician Geula Cohen, Iranian Revolutionary Guard founder Mohsen Sazargara, Hezbollah spiritual advisor Grand Ayatollah Mohammed Fadlallah, and former Afghan Radio and Television Ministry head Malamo Nazamy. Veteran journalist Reese Erlich offers them a chance to explain key issues and to respond to charges leveled by the United States. Critiquing these responses and synthesizing a broad range of material, Erlich shows that yesterday's terrorist is today's national leader, and that today's freedom fighter may become tomorrow's terrorist. He concludes that the global war on terror has diverted public attention from the war's real goal-expanding U.S. influence and interests in the Middle East-and offers policy remedies.

Erlich will be available to sign copies of his new book along with his previous works, Dateline Havana and The Iran Agenda.

Admission: $15 ($12 Peace Center members); $7 students. No one turned away for lack of funds.