Includes bibliographical references and index

"From Friday prayers in Tehran to the bombed-out back streets of Afghanistan, veteran journalist Reese Erlich has covered U.S. foreign policy for decades. Now he brings readers face to face with six Middle Eastern leaders sometimes labeled as terrorists, offers each a chance to explain his or her positions, and subjects those explanations to critical scrutiny. Drawing on firsthand interviews and original research, he shows that yesterday's terrorist is often today's national leader--and that today's freedom fighter may become tomorrow's terrorist. By labeling virtually every opponent a terrorist, Erlich concludes, the United States makes fighting real terrorists all the more difficult"--Cover, p. 4