A fresh look at the Middle East today, tomorrow, and in the past: fifteen writers, with an introduction by Raja Shehadeh, author of the Orwell Prize-winning Palestinian Walks, and Penny Johnson. At a time when the Middle East dominates media headlines more than ever--and for reasons that become ever more heartbreaking--Shifting Sands brings together fifteen impassioned and informed voices to talk about a region with unlimited potential, and yet which can feel, as one writer puts it, "as though the world around me is on fire?" This collection has as its framing event the Sykes-Picot agreement, which marks its centenary this year. The British diplomat Mark Sykes and his French counterpart Francois George-Picot wanted to divide most of the Middle East into British and French zones of influence. The accord that they secretly signed in 1916 invented the modern Middle East and planted the seeds for many of its current woes. For all those who are wearied by the debates surrounding the Middle East--often at best ill-informed and at worst, defeatist propaganda--this intelligent, reasoned perspective on life in the Middle East is a breath of fresh air. Contributors include: James Barr, Avi Shlaim, Salim Tamari, Ramita Navai, Dawn Chatty, Robin Yassin-Kassab, Malu Halasa, Marilyn Booth, Mai Al-Nakib, Selma Dabbagh, Tamim Al Barghouti, Justin Marozzi, Alev Scott, and Khaled Fahmy