Eric Rouleau was an Egyptian Jew who left his homeland for France in 1951 in the face of growing anti-Semitism in the Arab world. He became a foreign correspondent for Le Monde, returned to interview Egypt’s president, Gamal Abd al-Nasser, and eventually spoke with Yasser Arafat and many other Arab leaders. Truths and Lies is Rouleau’s sophisticated account of his remarkable career in journalism and diplomacy. He brought intellectual depth, as well as broad understanding, to his dangerous beat. Rouleau was sharply critical of Israel in the Occupied Territories and U.S. policies that fanned fanatical brands of militant Islam. He was also rueful over the xenophobia that drove out most of Egypt’s minority communities, leaving his birthplace a more backward, provincial place than it was before his departure.
