Author and freelance NPR political reporter Reese Erlich will read from and discuss his latest book, Conversations With Terrorists: Middle East Leaders on Politics, Violence, and Empire. Maz Jobrani will moderate a discussion with the audience.

Reese ErlichDrawing on original research and firsthand interviews, Conversations with Terrorists offers critical portraits of six Middle Eastern leaders sometimes labeled as terrorists: Syrian president Bashar Al-Assad, Hamas top leader Khaled Meshal, Israeli politician Geula Cohen, Iranian Revolutionary Guard founder Mohsen Sazargara, Hezbollah spiritual advisor Grand Ayatollah Mohammed Fadlallah, and former Afghan Radio and Television Ministry head Malamo Nazamy.

Veteran journalist Reese Erlich offers them a chance to explain key issues and to respond to charges leveled by the United States. Critiquing these responses and synthesizing a broad range of material, Erlich shows that yesterday's terrorist is today's national leader, and that today's freedom fighter may become tomorrow's terrorist. He concludes that the global war on terror has diverted public attention from the war's real goal-expanding U.S. influence and interests in the Middle East-and offers policy remedies.

Maz JobraniModerator Maz Jobrani received his undergraduate degree in Political Science at the University of California Berkeley before going on to become a comedian and actor of national prominence. Recently he moderated a discussion at the Mark Taper Auditorium on "Dismantling the Axis of Evil: Representations of Middle Easterners in Film & Television" with Reza Aslan, Ahmed Ahmed, John Tehranian and Shiva Rose.

Reese Erlich's books include Dateline Havana, The Iran Agenda, and the bestselling Target Iraq, which he co-authored with Norman Solomon (introduction by Howard Zinn and afterword by Sean Penn). He reports regularly for National Public Radio, Latino USA, Radio Deutche Welle, Australian Broadcasting Corporation, and Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. He also writes for the San Francisco Chronicle and the Dallas Morning News. In 2001, he produced a one-hour radio documentary, "The Struggle for Iran," which was hosted by Walter Cronkite.

Erlich has received awards from Project Censored, the National Headlines Awards, the Society of Professional Journalists (Northern California), the Chicago International Film Festival, and other organizations. In 2006, he shared a Peabody Award for the radio series "Crossing East." Erlich has taught journalism at San Francisco State University and California State University, East Bay. He is listed in Who's Who in America and Who's Who in the Media.

He will sign books after the reading and Q & A.

This program is cosponsored by L.A. Jews for Peace.

Seating is limited and advance RSVPs are strongly advised: 310.657.5511.