e readers at one remove from the Middle East who are quickly lost by the intricacies of its socio-political life. Although Friedman's strategy is to lure readers into his narrative's web by stringing together a series of compelling stories, he does recognize the giant obstacles which an uninitiated audience must overcome. To this end, he cleverly places a brief timeline labeled as "A Middle East Chronology" at the book's beginning (xi-xiv). His objective appears to be to offer a condensed guide to the major events and players in the dramatic life of the Middle East. The Chronology begins in 1882 when the "first large-scale immigration of Jewish settlers to Palestine" occurs (xi). The chronological listing stops in 1988 with Arafat's recognition of "Israel's right to exist" and the US authorization of the "opening of a dialogue with the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO)" (xiv). Nearly a decade later these events seem to mark the ongoing standstill or cycle of repetitive revolution which continues to characteri
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