The Search For Peace In The Middle East

If the only interest you have in the Middle East is a fast, dry recounting of all the "newsworthy" incidents since the founding of the State of Israel in 1948, then this program will be a handy reference guide. As someone who's made films on the Middle East, I must say that the more interesting efforts on this subject have gone well beyond this approach, critically investigating the everyday people themselves, as well as offering more in-depth portraits of well known personalities and less common stories that brought a new and refreshing perspective to the subject. (I think of the recent PBS miniseries The 50 Years War: Israel and the Arabs [$39.95], which, while also being a fairly straightforward chronology, really took risks and delved deeply into the reasons why this region has remained in stalemate since, oh, about 3,000 years before The History Channel was invented.) This program plays as if it were scripted from a chronological table, offering essentially a stock footage compilation from the CBS archives, recounting almost all the significant events, personalities, terrorist incidents and peacemaking efforts in the region. For students with no prior experience in Middle Eastern studies, The Search for Peace in the Middle East will be a handy primer, and is therefore a strong optional purchase. For those looking for a more detailed and interesting presentation, I recommend acquiring the five hour PBS miniseries instead. Aud: H, C, P. (R. Ray)