In this conversation—the first-ever “Kindle Singles interview”—Shimon Peres, the 89-year-old President of Israel, Nobel Laureate, and world statesman reflects on the past and challenges the present while forecasting hope for the future of the Middle East, and all mankind.
In the interview, Peres insists that peace talks arranged by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry are serious, and he calls for a peaceful resolution to his country’s conflicts with Iran. But he also speaks candidly and insightfully about history—from his mentor David Ben Gurion and the Yom Kippur War to the Oslo Peace Accord and the personal psychology of Yasir Arafat. But he is just as engaged by developments in brain science and by social networking technologies, at one point describing Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg as the most important revolutionary leader in the world today. “Karl Marx never forecast Zuckerberg,” Peres said. “He made a revolution with a billion people.”
The interview was conducted by David Samuels, in association with Tablet Magazine. Samuels is a contributing editor at Harper’s and a longtime contributor to The New Yorker and The Atlantic, and the author of ‘Only Love Can Break Your Heart’ and ‘The Runner.’ Tablet Magazine (tabletmag.com) is the daily online magazine of Jewish news, ideas, and culture.
In the interview, Peres insists that peace talks arranged by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry are serious, and he calls for a peaceful resolution to his country’s conflicts with Iran. But he also speaks candidly and insightfully about history—from his mentor David Ben Gurion and the Yom Kippur War to the Oslo Peace Accord and the personal psychology of Yasir Arafat. But he is just as engaged by developments in brain science and by social networking technologies, at one point describing Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg as the most important revolutionary leader in the world today. “Karl Marx never forecast Zuckerberg,” Peres said. “He made a revolution with a billion people.”
The interview was conducted by David Samuels, in association with Tablet Magazine. Samuels is a contributing editor at Harper’s and a longtime contributor to The New Yorker and The Atlantic, and the author of ‘Only Love Can Break Your Heart’ and ‘The Runner.’ Tablet Magazine (tabletmag.com) is the daily online magazine of Jewish news, ideas, and culture.
