BEYOND WAR Reimagining American Influence in a New Middle East

Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist David Rohde discusses the heavy reliance of the U.S. on contractors in Iraq and Afghanistan and the questionable results of that policy, in terms of both financial repercussions and infrastructure development—or the lack thereof. Narrator Patrick Lawlor is appropriately informative throughout this exploration of America’s role in the Middle East, though his delivery of the different accents of the people interviewed is generic at best. Accents aside, Lawlor is persuasive in communicating Rohde's advocacy for the development of alternative means of promoting peace and diplomacy in the region, including investing in educational and entrepreneurial efforts and fostering the growth of the moderate Muslim sectors in these countries. S.E.G. © AudioFile 2013, Portland, Maine [Published: MAY 2013]