The Israeli-Palestinian peace declaration of September 1993 and the Israeli-Jordanian peace treaty a year later have created a new reality in the Middle East and increased the likelihood of economic cooperation between Israel, Jordan, and the Palestinian Authority. Entrepreneurial economic cooperation among Israelis, Jordanians, and Palestinians can aid in the proliferation of peaceful settlements and serve as a means for increasing trust and durable coexistence. This book examines the political environment and bureaucratic cultures that underlie economic relations between the three parties, thereby providing a better understanding of the advantages and disadvantages of encouraging patterns of economic cooperation, the potential strategies that would lead to successful economic ventures, and the prospects for implementation. A prime conclusion drawn from the study is that strengthening political stability and peaceful coexistence in the Middle East can only take place by encouraging in

Is it any wonder that Americans have become so dissatisfied with government today? Politicians have given us soaring federal spending, rampant violations of our constitutional rights, a futile war in Iraq, corruption, incompetence, and a growing nanny state. Now one of the leading libertarian critics of big government raises the flag of freedom. David Boaz takes on both liberals and conservatives who seek to impose their own partisan agendas on the whole country. He discusses the roots of American freedom, the growing libertarian vote in America, the arrogance of politicians, and everything from taxes and education to terrorism and the war on drugs. For the millions of Americans who don't fit the red-blue divide, who are fiscally conservative and socially liberal, who reject big-government conservatism and nanny-state liberalism, this book points the way to a new politics of freedom.

Tens of millions of Americans, from Generation X-ers to baby boomers and beyond, are rediscovering libertarianism, a visionary alternative to the tired party orthodoxies of left and right. In 1995 a Gallup poll found that 52 percent of Americans said "the federal government has become so large and powerful that it poses an immediate threat to the rights and freedoms of ordinary citizens." Later that year, The Wall Street Journal concurred, saying: "Because of their growing disdain for government, more and more Americans appear to be drifting—often unwittingly—toward a libertarian philosophy."

Libertarianism is hardly new, but its framework for liberty under law and economic progress makes it especially suited for the dynamic new era we are now entering. In the United States, the bureaucratic leviathan is newly threatened by a resurgence of the libertarian ideas upon which the country was founded. We are witnessing a breakdown of all the cherished beliefs of the welfare-warfare state. Americans have seen the failure of big government. Now, in the 1990s, we are ready to apply the lessons of this century to make the next one the century not of the state but of the free individual.

David Boaz presents the essential guidebook to the libertarian perspective, detailing its roots, central tenets, solutions to contemporary policy dilemmas, and future in American politics. He confronts head-on the tough questions frequently posed to libertarians: What about inequality? Who protects the environment? What ties people together if they are essentially self-interested? A concluding section, "Are You a Libertarian?" gives readers a chance to explore the substance of their own beliefs. Libertarianism is must reading for understanding one of the most exciting and hopeful movements of our time.