<DIV><p>"A passionate call for political and social change in Arab countries . . . and a stern critique of the status quo."Jeremy Bowen, BBC Middle East editor</p><p>The problems in the Middle East are always someone else&rsquo;s fault.</p><p>While the West blames dictators and extremists, Arabs often blame centuries of foreign interference. For many, both in the East and West, the root problem is a lack of freedom.</p><p>Looking beyond the turmoil reported on our TV screens, <I>Guardian</I> journalist Brian Whitaker examines the "freedom deficit" that affects Arabs in their daily lives: their struggles against corruption, discrimination, and bureaucracy, and the stifling authoritarianism that pervades homes, schools, and mosques as well as presidential palaces.</p><p>Drawing on a wealth of new research and wide-ranging interviews, Whitaker analyzes the views of Arabs living in the region and argues that in order to achieve peace, prosperity, and full participation in today&rsquo;s global economy, Arabs should embrace political and far-reaching social and cultural change.</p><p><B>Brian Whitaker</B> was Middle East editor at the <I>Guardian</I> for seven years and is currently an editor for the newspaper&rsquo;s Comment is Free website. He is the author of <I>Unspeakable Love: Gay and Lesbian Life in the Middle East</I> (Saqi Books, 2006; also published in the United States by the University of California Press, 2006). His website, www.al-bab.com, is devoted to Arab culture and politics.</p></DIV>