The Next Founders: Voices of Democracy in the Middle East

Over the last two decades, I have read countless volumes on comparative politics in the Middle East, many of which are tremendously informative, but terribly dry. In the Next Founders, Josh Muravchik uses the lens of seven pioneering individuals to convey a large amount of information about politics within the seven critical countries in which they live. By putting a human face on an extraordinarily complex set of political dynamics, the book leaves the reader not only knowing more, but caring more about the struggle for freedom and human rights in the Middle East.

I found this book intelligent and inspiring. It's hard not to be captivated by the voices of the courageous people the author presents, and impossible not to feel uplifted. We are introduced to seven exceptional individuals, five men and two women, one each from Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Iran, Egypt, Palestine, Kuwait and Syria. Each is doing the remarkable work of trying to bring democracy to his or her country. Muravchik is a good storyteller and I found that the pages turned themselves. In addition to being fascinated by their stories and situations, I was quite moved by the passionate commitments each of these people had made, risking life and safety to work for human rights and justice in a region that has known little of freedom.