The Leadership Crisis: How America Lost the Middle East to Islamic Extremists - A Novel Inspired by True Events from 1973 to 1981

The Leadership Crisis is a social, political thriller incorporating in-depth research, accurate historical events and portrayals of President Jimmy Carter, the Shah of Iran, Ayatollah Khomeini, Saddam Hussein, among countless other world leaders. Fictional characters weave intricate story lines that bring to life the sociopolitical culture of the 1970s while also illuminating the roots of Islamic extremists, terrorism and the economic and political consequences of America's handling of the Middle East. Diane Babel, an upstart, progressive news reporter, gets a break as a foreign correspondent with an international news agency. She is introduced to a secret global society of informers through a mysterious former CIA operative, Richard Harden. Diane's on-again-off-again love interest is Jack Quaid. They graduated from George Washington University together and maintained an adversarial but romantically charged relationship. Jack, a Republican, ultimately switches teams when offered the job of assistant press secretary for the Carter Administration. Diane continually secures classified information from Harden earning international recognition for her intrepid news reports. Instructed by the Carter Administration, Jack spies on Diane in attempts to obtain secret information, which causes a rift in their relationship. From Tehran to the Oval Office to Camp David and other exotic locations in between, Diane uncovers the roots of Middle Eastern terrorism, deception, corruption and flawed American foreign policies. Her reporting eventually brings her too close to the truth. She is among the hostages taken during the 1979 Islamic Revolution in Iran.