The Middle East May Be More Like America Than You Think

The youth in the Middle East are in the majority and, like young people in America, just want to be free. They don't hate Americans. They don't even hate Jews. They save their distaste for the American and Israeli governments. At first glance one would say that Jared Cohen's "Children of Jihad" is a fascinating examination of the youth culture in the Middle East, but it is so much more than that. It is possible that somewhere in the book lies the answer to the question: Will there ever be peace in the Middle East? Young people are the future, and, according to Cohen, they are much more like us than we realize.

Cohen, a Jewish American, befriends the youth of Iran, Lebanon, Syria, and Iraq. He sits down with young members of Hezbollah at McDonald’s in Lebanon. He travels into war-torn Iraq. He worships at a synagogue -- in Iran. Most Americans haven't a clue about daily life in the Middle East. Cohen's travelogue shatters the mistaken but commonly held belief that every Muslim with a turban on his head is chanting "Death to America" in his head.

The majority of the people in the Middle East are not extremists. They'd rather wield a mobile phone than an assault rifle (though many are comfortable wielding both). They'd rather party at underground clubs than promote jihad. They'd rather be free than oppressed. There is a general thirst for liberty among the young people in these misunderstood countries.

What is most impressive about Cohen's writing is that it appears to be unbiased. He takes a true journalistic approach and reports just the facts and opinions of those he is covering. The reader is unable to determine where Cohen’s own beliefs fall within the political spectrum, a rare trait in today's political non-fiction. He does, though rarely, come off as a bit arrogant and self-absorbed at times, but that is to be expected with the diary-like format of the book.

Cohen's biography is impressive. He received his B.A. from Stanford University and his M.Phil. in International Relations from Oxford University, where he studied as a Rhodes Scholar. He has also traveled extensively throughout Africa, looking at issues related to conflict resolution, genocide, and democracy. He joined the Policy Planning Staff at the U.S. Department of State in September 2006. He is responsible for counter-radicalization, youth and education, public diplomacy, Muslim world outreach, and North Africa. His travels for "Children of Jihad" occurred during 2004 and 2005. (Source: U.S. State Department)

The book jumps from country to country, but in general it follows Cohen along an almost two-year timeline from Lebanon, to Iran, back to Lebanon, Syria, and finally Iraq. During his time in Iran, Cohen is directed to specific pro-regime locations by his "tour guide." He is told he cannot interview the officials he entered the country to interview. This setback creates a transformation of purpose for Cohen when he discovers, almost accidentally, that the people he should be talking to are the young.

If "the young" were a political party they would be the majority party of the Middle East, especially in Iran. He finds that most of them oppose the strict moral guidelines of the regime in power. They rebel through the use of technology. They utilize mobile phones, Bluetooth, and Internet cafes to communicate. The young women stretch the Islamic clothing requirements to the limit. Cohen is comforted by the fact that most of them can separate the regime from the people. It is sad that Americans rarely do the same. Numerous times he is told, "We love the American people and their free culture." It is the American government they dislike. With the American public overwhelmingly unsatisfied with our own government, this is another area of similarity.

Cohen is quick to illustrate that there is a lack of opportunity in many areas of the Middle East, and it is this lack of opportunity that shifts youth toward Islamic fundamentalist organizations at a young age, where they are indoctrinated. Yet the pull of freedom is still too strong to increase their numbers into a majority.

One of the most interesting of Cohen's travels occurs in northern Iraq. There he discovers that Iraqi Kurdistan is more democratic than the United States. It is truly the freest of all countries in the Middle East. How odd it is to find the most liberty and safety within a country torn to shreds by war while here in the U.S. we continue to sacrifice more of our liberty, under the false impression that it is necessary to do so to achieve security.

There is a vital lesson to learn from "Children of Jihad". Perhaps, as we gain more of an understanding of the Middle Eastern culture we can talk and trade our way toward democracy rather than continue our failing policy of coercion and war.