We Read it So You Don’t Have to

In the Middle East, myths have a way of stubbornly clinging to life. A new book by two experts, Dennis Ross (back in government after an eight-year hiatus) and David Makovsky, lays out the region's most tenacious falsehoods—and explains how the United States has been misled by them. Their four main points:

The notion that resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict will cure the entire area's dysfunction is wrong. Most Arab problems have nothing to do with Israelis and Palestinians, and will fester long after any peace agreement between the two sides.

Democracy promotion in the Middle East is not dead, the failings of George W. Bush's administration notwithstanding. The U.S. should help strengthen secular reformers before pushing for elections.

America should establish secret talks with representatives of Iran's supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, offer incentives to get the country to halt its nuclear program, but make clear what punitive (including military) measures it faces if it refuses.

Engaging extremist groups such as Hamas and Hizbullah is counterproductive because it undermines moderate Arab forces and discredits U.S. peace efforts.