Great detailed reviews and discussion of leading figures in this tumultuous region. I greatly enjoy the author's fiction books. This is a change in piece, yet clearly as well thought out and south an err of personal experience rare in this discussion. Highly recommend!

"Enemies and Allies" is an interesting look into the numerous actors of the current Middle East geopolitical landscape, with chapters on important Arab, Jewish, and American leaders. Rosenberg writes from the perspective of a Messianic Jew who fairly recently moved his family from Virginia to Jerusalem. While Rosenberg's background is as a novelist and former political consultant, his numerous ties to the major players in the Middle East have given him unique access and information that might only be shared normally to a few select journalists at The Wall Street Journal or The New York Times.

A potential danger in writing such a book is the potential to insert one's own narrative or political commentary to the point of overwhelming the primary source material, but apart from a few stray comments about former U.S. president Donald Trump, Rosenberg largely refrains from doing so. Instead. he presents the interviews in a rather straightforward manner and underlies his commentary with a refreshing honesty and transparency about his motives and background.

After reading "Blood and Oil," another book written about Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, I found Rosenberg's interview to be an interesting alternative perspective to the information gathered by the WSJ journalist authors of that aforementioned book. The budding relationship between evangelical Christian and Muslim leaders in the Middle East is one of which I am unfamiliar, and Rosenberg is particularly suited to sharing insights on these discussions.

I do believe Rosenberg largely accomplishes his goal of explaining how the landscape is shifting in the Middle East, and the interviews within the book contained enough interesting tidbits to keep me engaged. I would recommend this book to those interested in American foreign policy as well as to those hoping to gain a better understanding of where the Middle East currently stands on religious freedom.

In the book Enemies and Allies, author Joel Rosenberg writes about his involvement in the recent peace agreements between Arab/Muslim countries and Israel. Rosenberg, who is a dual citizen of the United States and Israel, writes about the many volatile situations in the Middle East and how recent American Presidential administrations have helped or hurt the peace process. As a current resident of Israel, Rosenberg gives unique insights into the conflicts and while no resolution is perfect, there is a great deal of behind the scenes progress. This was an incredible book with many private meetings now being made public. I would highly recommend this book. I received a copy of this e-book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I was dubious of the biased nature of this book when I read it a few months back. Shortly after finishing it, I read another book on the region and it felt a more balanced one. I was reflecting on how to review this book when the latest war between Israel and Palestine broke out. The horror, the pain and the revelations made as a result of that fighting dropped the book even further in my estimation,

It is well written, eloquently argued and easy to be swayed by and perhaps that's what raised the flag for me. America is painted as being a uniting force, several stories in the book seem to raise the status of the author and his fellows by name dropping rather than deeds. The prediction of harmony and the recommended solution to the struggle feel entirely out of touch with the reality into which the book will soon be birthed.

For me, it's a two out of five on the enJOYment scale, with a warning, please read broader on this than just this book. Wrestle with the complexity of the challenges facing this region and form your own opinion.

What better way to explain the volatile Middle East than to bring a boatload of facts, much of it statements directly from the people involved? Well-known author Joel C. Rosenberg, renowned for his fiction as well as numerous books on the Middle East, shares his knowledge of the people involved in some of the most unexpected events in recent years.

For anyone confused on the participants and their motives, this book will serve as an excellent primer. Personally, I was not aware that a group of evangelical Christians – organized by the author – had visited several Middle Eastern countries and talked directly with the leaders of those countries. Reading this book was truly an eye-opener for me.

Getting the facts directly from the leaders of countries like Jordan, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia (to name a few) changed many of my viewpoints (some of which were sound a few years ago). It is hard to judge from the different news outlets whether the information they convey is true, slightly true, or completely slanted to accommodate a particular point of view, and seldom do we have the opportunity to gain insight to the stances and future plans of those who hold the power to effect change. This book identifies the allies and enemies in the Middle East and places a different perspective of what is happening, based upon the meetings Mr. Rosenberg helped generate.

Central to the book is the documentation of those meetings. At a time when leaders in the Middle East were privately considering peace with Israel, the author initiated a meeting with a leader from a Muslim country. From this one act grew the strength for more leaders to reach out, and lengthy discussions between Arab leaders and evangelical Christians took place. One cannot discount the historical impact these meetings had on all parties, how many walls they may have helped loosen and tear down.

The last section of the book conjectures on the future of evangelical Christianity in the Middle East. Mr. Rosenberg shares his hopes and thoughts with us, and it is a natural conclusion to a book that is supported by the numerous footnotes included in each chapter. The author allows his faith to guide him throughout the journey, and while I am not an ardent follower of any of the religions talked about in the book, I can respect and appreciate what his opinions bring to this book. Highly recommended to those interested in the Middle East, history, and current events. Five stars.

My thanks to NetGalley and Tyndale House Publishers for a complimentary electronic copy of this book.

The Middle East has so many moving pieces, parts, and players, it's sometimes hard to know where to even begin!

Enter "Enemies and Allies." Rosenberg is uniquely positioned to write on the topic, and does a fantastic job at providing overviews of today's key players in the region--as well as documenting his own interactions with each and providing plenty of resources for further review. It was almost like a real-life bibliography for any of his fiction books, lol...if you ever wonder how he writes his series, this provides the factual basis--literal news headlines, interviews, and more.

A truly fascinating read. Helpful and insightful on all counts.

I received an eARC of the book from the publisher. All opinions are my own.

First and foremost, a large thank you to NetGalley, Joel C. Rosenberg, and Tyndale House Publishers for providing me with a copy of this publication, which allows me to provide you with an unbiased review.

As a former student of politics and a lover of political thrillers of all stripes, I have come to really enjoy the work of Joel C. Rosenberg. I do not profess to know a great deal about the intricacies of the Middle East or its precarious political situation, outside of the primary tenets developed in the latter part of the 20th century and into the 21st. Rosenberg’s fiction has been quite telling, at times predicting events that did occur, which has always left me paying close attention when he spins a tale. In this, a piece of non-fiction, Rosenberg not only offers his opinions about progress in the region, but he provides first-hand accounts of discussions and scenarios with the various actors who have/will be responsible for peace in the region, as well as the emergence of religious freedoms, namely for evangelical Christians. It’s a telling piece and eye opening at the same time.

Rosenberg makes clear in the opening portion of the book that he is no soothsayer or prognosticator of what will happen in the region, but has been able to engage in key meetings with various high-ranking officials to get their opinions on situations, as well as forecasting what is likely to come in a reform movement. Israel is no longer an automatic pariah to countries in the region, though it is not a one-sided situation where Arab and Muslim countries are prepared to simply ‘take a knee’ and let Israel have what they have wanted since 1948. As with anything, there is a balance, albeit precarious, to a peace in the Middle East and the harmony that will occur thereafter.

While not seeking to name drop or put himself on a pedestal, Rosenberg makes clear that he has been given some unique access to various world leaders in the past few years. Organizing delegations as a Jewish evangelical Christian (you have to read the book to understand) and Israeli citizen (in all honesty, a joint US-Israeli citizen for the past number of years), Rosenberg has broken new ground in getting leaders of Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, and even Saudi Arabia, to sit with him and share their visions for the future. These include both within the country, as well as throughout the region. All include a view towards a peaceful interaction with Israel and a stronger connection to the evangelical Christian base Rosenberg espouses.

As the title asserts, there are also enemies in the region who would seek to stymie progress, or who are not helpful to the peace process. Iran and Turkey are two of these countries and their leaders, while perhaps eschewing their own version of the truth, have taken a hard-nose approach to both Israel and the United States. Rosenberg is clearly critical, not only of these actors (tossing Russia in there as well), but also points to a lack of definitive political bullying by the Obama Administration when they had the chance. While there are moments of sycophantic, pro-Trump rhetoric, the book does not make the past president appear to be the saviour of the region or that his views are the only hope for peace.

Rosenberg uses the last portion of the book to explore the possibility of religious freedom in the region, particularly for evangelical Christians. There appears to be a move towards such freedoms, citing that a number of the leaders to whom he spoke were happy to allocate a portion of the country to open Christian religious practice, as well as the building of churches. This is, according to Rosenberg, progress that parallels the emergence of a peace with Israel, inching forward slowly but notably.

While a piece of non-fiction and surely meant to convey some of the region’s history and current political turnaround, the book is not a dry recollection of events. Rather, it is Rosenberg’s personal interactions and conversations with leaders in the region over a period of years. While there are moments of necessary paraphrasing, it is full of strong quotes and explanations that readers without a thorough understanding of the region of its leaders can digest with ease. I found myself flying through the chapters, as they are intriguing and offer insights I had not considered, even if it is clearly seen through the lens of the speaker at times and not always analyzed through every angle. Backed by substantive endnotes, Rosenberg shows that this is not a soapbox diatribe, but rather work supported by documentation to which the reader can refer if they choose.

I will continue reading many of the fictional accounts of the region that Joel C. Rosenberg develops in his novels, as they tell a story that few other authors can present. The nuances woven into their narratives are not to be dismissed as off-hand or fairytales, as Rosenberg has shown that he knows the region, its actors, and the possible fallout. Fans of his work may enjoy this to see where some of the ideas for his past (and future) novels come from, though this is also a great piece for those who enjoy a perspective or two on Middle East politics and the upcoming perspectives of key players.

Kudos, Mr. Rosenberg, for an intriguing look at the other side of your writing. I enjoy seeing your non-fiction writing, as it complements those novels I have come to enjoy for the past many years!

Admittedly, I had requested to read this non-fiction work by fiction writer Joel C. Rosenberg without realising that his pretentiousness and Judeo-Christian emphasis would prove to be a constant irritant in what otherwise could have been a highly interesting book. After a promising start, I was disappointed by a first wretch-inducing reference to scriptures in the preface. As the first chapter kicked off with self-aggrandising anecdotes about the author's fictional works, the second chapter provided another wonderful example of the author's pomposity when he quotes an unnamed gentleman referring to a Netanyahu speech as if it was "ripped out of one of Rosenberg's novels". I knew there and then that I wouldn't have the patience to struggle any further through this vapid, turgid and self-indulgent crud.

At least this book taught me to be more discerning when it comes to requesting books from NetGalley.

Enemies and Allies is an interesting and fairly detailed glimpse into the back channel dealing between players in the Middle East from the standpoint of one of those players, the author, Joel Rosenberg. Those who follow his blog postings, media appearances, and articles in major news organizations will be familiar with much of the material, but the book pulls it all together and fills in gaps with added personal insights and color. Students of Middle East policy and those who are interested in "peace of Jerusalem" will find it interesting and informative if a bit necessarily long.

In a departure from his usual fictional spy thrillers, author and journalist Joel Rosenberg takes readers behind the scenes during his recent meetings with leaders of Jordan, Egypt, UAE and other countries. As a person who holds both U.S. and Israeli citizenship, he is in a unique position to write about historic events in the Middle East from a well-informed perspective. If you want to get the inside scoop on current Middle East events, read this excellent work of nonfiction.

Enemies and Allies by Joel Rosenberg is such a timely and interesting book. Rosenberg gives the reader insight to interviews he had and time he spent with key leaders in the Middle East as well as here in the US. Without including information of a sensitive nature from his interviews, he does give you a view of these men as leaders and citizens of the countries that they love, as well as a look at the dynamic of political power in this region of the world. As a dual citizen of the United States and Israel, he offers an interesting perspective of how the progress and setbacks in the Middle East cause actions and reactions world wide. You will enjoy the book! Thank you NetGalley and Tyndale House Publishing for the opportunity to read this book.

For twenty years, Joel Rosenberg has had his finger on the pulse of the Middle East. His fiction career began with The Last Jihad where the opening scene depicts terrorists hijacking an airplane—published nine months before 9/11. The Third Target had its mid-2015 release date pushed up by a few months because the book’s mostly obscure antagonists—a group calling themselves ISIS—had suddenly burst onto the scene in reality. His fiction has been so prescient that it’s opened doors into some real-life halls of power. Enemies and Allies is the story of those conversations.

To give one example of what I mean, it was Rosenberg’s fiction that led to a friendship with the King of Jordan. A consultant to the king picked up one of Rosenberg’s books in an airport, not knowing that a fictionalized version of his boss was heavily featured (or that the Jordanian palace would be bombed). He gave a copy to the king and things moved into place from there. Next thing you know, Rosenberg is a leading a delegation of evangelical Christians for a series of meetings with the king and his senior staff.

Perhaps the most exclusive part of Enemies and Allies is Rosenberg’s interview with Mohammad bin Salman (MBS), the crown prince and de facto ruler of Saudi Arabia. MBS does not typically speak to Western media and no Western biographies of him actually contain interviews with him. Rosenberg spends three chapters on his experiences in Saudi Arabia and conversations with MBS.

Other figures that Rosenberg interviews include Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu, Egyptian president Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, king of the United Arab Emirates Mohammad bin Zayed, Jordanian King Abdullah II, American President Donald Trump, Vice President Mike Pence, and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. These interviews range from the casual and friendly to the formal and limited.

One criticism that I do have is that many of the interviews lack substance or critical analysis. Rosenberg is usually content to report what was said without scrutinizing it or offering critical commentary. The most egregious and well-known instance of this is simply accepting that MBS had nothing to do with the assassination of Jamal Khashoggi, and highlighting Khashoggi’s friendly past with Muslim extremists. I understand that Rosenberg likely has to be very careful about his portrayal of controversial figures, but those who are wanting hard-hitting journalism that incisively critiques and comments on the claims are going to be left wanting.

It’s not that Rosenberg and his team only offer softball questions. Some are very pointed and contentious, though always polite. But little more is done than to simply report the answers as given. This isn’t inherently a bad thing, but it’s important to note that the book is more memoir than political expose.

Enemies and Allies offers a look into the Middle East that many readers haven’t seen before. It has an obvious bias toward Israel and Saudi Arabia and against Palestine. Rosenberg also speaks out in support of Jordan and Egypt and against Iran, but those criticisms are more well-founded. Rosenberg’s limitations are that he only features leaders and nations he has interviewed, so key pieces—like chapters on Palestine and Iran—are conspicuously absent.

Enemies and Allies is sure to have its uncritical fans and immediate detractors. While Rosenberg does seem to push the evangelical narrative, he’s open and honest about it. I do wish that he had played a bit more hardball with some interviews, that they had a bit more substance, and that he hadn’t felt the need to hype his entire team for every interview. At the same point, I do understand the political intricacies of doing reporting like this and understand that not everything is on the record. My biggest personal takeaway was a better understanding of el-Sisi in Egypt and the Obama administration’s unfortunate connection with the Muslim Brotherhood.

The most important aspect of Enemies and Allies is how it humanizes many of the current leaders of the Middle East, helping readers see them as real people and not vague stereotypes or caricatures. I’m hopeful that this book will help evangelical Christian readers understand the Middle East in a deeper and more impactful way.

3.5 stars

Rosenberg's books are always so well written and spot-on. This is the first nonfiction book I've read from him, but it's interesting. He gives the reader a look at what's going on in the Middle East. He interviews heads of state, as well. The author has dual citizenship (US and Israel), so it's interesting to see his perspective on things.

This is a well written documented book. It tells the story that has not previously been shown about global leaders and their influence over our lives. It captured the heart of God's love and compassion towards all.

In ENEMIES AND ALLIES, JOEL C. ROSENBERG gives us insight into what is really happening in the Middle East as he interviews heads of state and gives us their extremely interesting input. He writes as a Jewish believer in Jesus, with dual United States/ Israeli citizenship, and with a love for both Jew and Palestinian in his beloved land of Israel.
The book is extremely well researched and well worth reading.
I was given a free copy of the book by NetGalley from Tyndale House Publishers. The opinions in this review are completely my own.