“Power, Faith and Fantasy” is not only the title of Michael B. Oren’s celebrated book on the history of, as the subtitle says, “America in the Middle East 1776 to the Present.”
It is how Oren, an Israeli historian and activist, now sees all current news about U.S. actions and reactions involving Middle East developments.
For example, Oren told The Chronicle in a telephone interview last week, the summit meeting in Annapolis this past November was “a combination of all three” concepts that, he contends in the book, have characterized U.S. interactions with the region since the nation’s founding.
In terms of power, “the U.S. is the only country that can snap its fingers and summon 49 nations and organizations to a summit within a week,” said Oren.
In terms of faith, a “big theme” in the history of U.S. relations with the region is “the need to restore tranquility to the Holy Land.”
And many U.S. political leaders “believe that a significant number of people in the Middle East desire peace and the economic benefits and freedoms that come with peace,” he said. “That is a deeply rooted fantasy.”
Oren will be coming to Milwaukee as part of a tour associated with the recent release of the paperback edition of his book. He will speak at the Harry W. Schwartz Bookstore in Shorewood (4093 N. Oakland Ave.) on Tuesday, Feb. 19, 7 p.m.
No ‘tremendous difference’
Oren was raised in New Jersey and moved to Israel in the 1970s. When he speaks before general audiences about his book, he said he “occasionally gets a semi-hostile question about how can I as an Israeli write objectively about the Middle East.”
When asked how he answers this question, he replied, “It’s not easy. It is the same way that an Italian American would have a hard time writing objectively about American relations with Italy.”
“I view my biases as obstacles to be overcome rather than preconceptions to be indulged,” he said. “I am striving for some type of balance and objectivity. I don’t always achieve it, but I strive for it.”
Naturally, many U.S. audience members ask him about the coming elections. Oren told The Chronicle that the relative prominence of the Middle East as an issue in the presidential elections will largely depend on “whether there will be a major terror attack.”
“Right now, the Middle East as a primary issue has moved down a few slots behind the economy and health care,” he said. “But it can always re-ascend should there be an outbreak of fighting or a terror attack.”
As for his own preferences, while he admitted that “I personally like [Sen. John] McCain [R-Ariz.],” Oren said he doesn’t “see a tremendous difference” in the major candidates’ Middle East policies.
He does say that he sees “a deeper and more ardent support for Israel” in the Republican Party than among Democrats, but “it’s a question whether that is going to find an expression in policy.”
In addition to being an author and a senior fellow at Israel’s Shalem Center, Oren serves as Middle East expert for CBS News. That gives him an inside view of the workings of U.S. news media and the question of whether they are biased against Israel.
Oren said that while the news media in Europe are biased, American news media are “not biased, but sometimes ill-informed about Middle Eastern political culture and history. I see egregious historical errors made on the pages of newspapers.”
He said, “I would like to think I have” reduced errors in the CBS coverage. “I think it is an important event for CBS to acquire a Middle East expert. That says something about CBS taking this part of the world very seriously.”
Oren has previously written an acclaimed history of the 1967 Six Day War. Among his intended projects for the next few years include a history of Israel’s War for Independence.
“There are a number of books about it,” he said. “But there is no comprehensive history that uses Arabic sources.”
While most Arab governments do not allow researchers to examine their archived documents about the war, Oren said he can use “different Arab sources,” like newspaper articles and memoirs.
Moreover, Israel has some archived Arab source materials, and Jordan “has begun to declassify certain documents” from that time, Oren said.
For more information about Oren’s speaking appearance, contact the Harry W. Schwartz Bookstore in Shorewood, 414-963-3111.
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