The Tumultuous Decade

This book brings together nearly a decade of Zogby Research Services (ZRS) public opinion polling in Arab countries, Turkey, and Iran—a period of great tumult across the Middle East and North Africa. Through polling, ZRS gives people a chance to speak for themselves—people who are often “spoken for” by governments or elites who think they know what the “local” people think, or even what they should think. The danger of not listening is most acutely illustrated by the series of near-blind decisions that preceded and accompanied the U.S.-led invasion and occupation of Iraq, but also rears its head in international decisions and actions in many Middle Eastern arenas, from the Israel-Palestine conflict to the Russian intervention in Syria. International policymaking toward the Middle East, while it considers matters of energy, security, trade, and the like, must always keep in view—front and center—the opinions and priorities of the people concerned. 

Arab Voices

Despite increased contact between the West and the Arab world, even top American political leaders have only limited awareness of the realities and complexities of their Arab counterparts. Arab Voices asks the questions, collects the answers, and shares the results that will help us see Arabs clearly, bringing into stark relief the myths, assumptions, and biases that hold us back from understanding this important variety of cultures.

With a new afterword chronicling the importance of the recent uprisings across the Arab world, Zogby shows why it's more important than ever to base policy and perception on reality, rather than stereotypes and theories. 

Looking at Iran

When American policy makers discuss Iran, the focus is on Israel, as if that were the only issue to consider. In reality, the Islamic Republic of Iran is not only a concern for Americans and Israelis. It is also a growing concern for people across the Arab and Muslim Worlds. In "Looking at Iran: the Rise and Fall of Iran in Public Opinion", James Zogby examines how in just six years Iran has experienced a precipitous decline in popularity among Arabs and Muslims.