My Book is Finished, and I'm Hitting the Road

I’ve finally finished my book, a first-person narrative account of revolution, terrorism, and war in the Middle East, and it will be published by Encounter Books in Spring 2011. Later this year you’ll be able to pre-order signed copies directly from me.

At the end of this week I’m heading back to the Middle East, this time to bring you pre-war coverage from Israel, the West Bank, and Gaza. (Unless, that is, the next war pops off while I’m there, in which case I’ll be bringing you actual war coverage.)

Predicting events in the Middle East is a mug’s game since almost anything can happen over there, but it feels a little like 1967 in the region right now. The entire Eastern Mediterranean is gearing up for a conflagration that could easily involve a number of countries at once—Israel, Lebanon, Syria, Iran, and Gaza.

Israel seems the most logical place to go as a foreign correspondent right now. Most likely it will be the epicenter of the next round of conflict. Iran threatens to destroy the Jewish state with nuclear weapons, Hezbollah in Lebanon has a more formidable arsenal than any other terrorist army on earth, the blockade of Hamas is falling apart, and even Syria might end up in Jerusalem’s crosshairs. And this time I finally expect to go inside Gaza and take a look around for myself. The West Bank is by all accounts in better shape than ever before, but the Palestinians of the Gaza Strip live under the totalitarian rule of the Taliban of the Eastern Mediterranean.

I also have some travel pieces from my last trip to the former Soviet Union that have been in the works for some time, and they will be published here shortly.

Thanks to Roger L. Simon for inviting me over to Pajamas Media. It’s good to be here.

I’ve found cheap places to stay in the Middle East, but airfare is expensive during the summer, and I’m on an extremely tight budget. I can’t work as a foreign correspondent without serious help from my readers to cover travel expenses, so please help me out.

You can make a one-time donation through Pay Pal:

[paypal_tipjar /]

Alternatively, you can make recurring monthly donations. Please consider choosing this option and help me stabilize my expense account.

[paypal_monthly /]

If you would like to donate yet don’t want to send money over the Internet, please consider sending a check or money order to:

Michael Totten

P.O. Box 312

Portland, OR 97207-0312

Many thanks in advance.