War is hell. And I am at a loss to explain the current rush to invade Iraq. Have Americans forgotten the casualties of Vietnam and Korea?

Part of the problem is that Americans have very little balanced, fair-minded information and commentary on the Middle East. Another surprise is that many if not most US decision-makers on the Middle East have never lived in the region, or even visited, and have little sense of the impact of their decisions on the lives of ordinary folk.

The Bridge Between the Cultures Project of Cune Press will make Middle East authors and books available in local communities around the country. It will bring vigorous debate and discussion of foreign policy alternatives to local and regional media. It will illustrate the lives of Middle Easterners, answer questions, and encourage travel to the region.

We need to foster mutual understanding between the Arab and Western worlds. We need to heal the wounds of war and terror. We need to move forward, and the public education efforts of Cune Press are a strong first step. I urge you to give the Bridge Between the Cultures Project your encouragement and support.

Seldom has it been more important for Americans to understand the people of the Middle East. Ordinary people are the key to forging a common future. Silent majorities on either side of the divide between East and West are the ones whose longing for fairness, mutual respect, and peace will limit and define the realm of possibilities for their leaders.

With its Bridge between the Cultures project, Cune Press is using the format of books and authors to inform, educate, and elicit the good will of fair-minded Americans. Cune’s approach uses grassroots media. It capitalizes on the demand for speakers from the “Muslim,” “Arab,” or “international” point of view to appear on local and regional radio and television and to appear at local meetings and events.

The idea is to use books and authors to conduct public education about the Middle East through local and regional media and events across the US. Some of our authors will be Arabs and Muslims, others will be Americans who have overcome their fears and prejudices to travel extensively in Arab and Islamic countries.

We feel that Americans know very little about the lives of ordinary Arabs and Muslims. It’s our hope that increased understanding will lead to a more balanced and enlightened foreign policy. Rather than “preaching to the choir,” we aim to interact with Americans who have not yet made up their minds. We want to vigorously take issue with the stereotypes, prejudices, and misinformation that, all too often, are perpetuated by the media. Our approach is cultural, rather than an exercise in political debate.

War with Iraq, a war which promises to bring death, destruction, and economic disruption to thousands of innocent people in Iraq and in the Middle East—in addition to those who are already suffering and dying in Palestine. These victims are men and women whose lives, sad to say, are invisible to American citizens and policymakers alike.

In my recent travel in Syria, many people, without prompting, expressed their admiration for your vigorous efforts to bring peace to the Middle East. They feel that you had the interests of the ordinary people of the region at heart.

Cune Press wants to bring artists and writers before the US public in a way that will help Americans to conceive of the lives of ordinary men and women in the Middle East. We are not interested in political rhetoric and partisan debate. Rather we want to use our art to provide fact and wisdom to audiences who have not yet made up their minds. It is our hope that this effort will lead to a more sensible foreign policy and will improve the treatment of Arabs and Muslims within the United States as well.

Our Bridge Between the Cultures Project will put American and Middle Eastern authors into print in translation. Then we will use these books and authors to take issue with fear, ignorance, and prejudice. Our strategy will be to garner local media and to conduct events in communities across the United States. We have been successful in the past in this grassroots approach. And that is why we will be seeking funding to allow us to continue on a larger scale. As our funding allows, we also will take American authors on tour in the Middle East

Many of us in the United States are dismayed at the military thrust of US foreign policy, as well as the “unilateralism” of the current administration (which also can be described as bullying and lack of respect for international law). With the recent Republican sweep of Congress, it appears that we are on a downward slope that will lead swiftly to war with Iraq, a war which promises to bring death, destruction, and economic disruption to thousands of innocent people in Iraq and in the Middle East—in addition to those who are already suffering and dying in Palestine. These victims are men and women whose lives are invisible to American citizens and policymakers alike.

Scott C. Davis, Founder Bridges Between Cultures