Veteran New York Times reporter Neil MacFarquhar has just published a new book on life in the Middle East: "The Media Relations Department of Hizbollah Wishes You A Happy Birthday: Unexpected Encounters in the Changing Middle East."

The book is already winning praise.

The Washington Post review calls it "an intelligent and fascinating romp full of anecdotes, acid asides and conversations with everyone from dissidents to diplomats and liberal religious sheiks, and even a Kuwaiti woman with a sex-advice column."

The New York Times calls it a "sly, vivid memoir.'

In a recent Q&A with Asharq alawsat, MacFarquhar, who speaks Arabic, grew up in Libya and worked in the Middle East for 13 years, talks about the book.

"There are all kinds of people in the Arab world who feel that their region is out of step with the rest of the world when it comes to basic civic, human and political rights," he says. " When they look at the history of the region, with its rich history of scientific and artistic achievement, they wonder what went wrong. Where are the Arab Microsofts? Where are the Arab Apple computers? I think the young people understand that they need some basic freedoms and opportunities to advance, and it is sad that the young generation of new leaders appear more interested in just grabbing onto power and clinging to it like their fathers rather than improving the lives and educations of the young. One entire chapter, Arrested Development, talks about this phenomenon."

As for US policy in the Middle East, he says:

"I think President Bush made a lot of promises about helping bring change to the Middle East that he did not keep. The policy of pushing democracy was something closer to 'We like democracy when our friends win.' I think it would have been better to push for some of the basic rights in civil society – a free press, the right to assembly, freedom of speech. Plus he should have tried to identify common values and common vocabulary, like the need for justice which is emphasized in the Quran. Arabs certainly need greater political development, but they need to find their own path in doing it. Hopefully President Obama can encourage them along the path without telling them how they should walk."