How did Friedman’s attitudes as a young adult toward Israel and the Middle East influence his initial approach to reporting? How much did those attitudes change after nearly a decade of reporting, especially at such a critical time in Israeli history?

Friedman describes Beirut during the civil war as a place marked by political and military violence on the one hand, and normalcy and commercial luxury on the other. How does the motif of violence alongside the pedestrian and the luxurious feature in the book, and how does it play a role in the situation in the Levant?

What do you think about Friedman attributing the massacre of Hama to tribalism? Is that a reasonable way of connecting the past with the present, or as some critics allege, is it a way of “othering” Arab behavior that ignores the fact that all peoples are capable of similar atrocities?