The Age of Deception by Mohamed ElBaradei

Now, in a vivid and thoughtful account, ElBaradei takes us inside the nuclear fray. Inspector, consultant, and carrier of messages, he moves from Baghdad, where Iraqi officials bleakly predict the coming war, to behind-the-scenes exchanges with Condoleezza Rice, to the streets of Pyongyang and the trail of Pakistani nuclear smugglers. He dissects the possibility of rapprochement with Iran, all the while rejecting hard-line ideologies of every kind, decrying an us-versus-them approach, and insisting on the necessity of relentless diplomacy. "We have no other choice," ElBaradei says, "the other option is unthinkable."

The Age of Deception is an unparalleled portrait of society's struggle to come to grips with the insecurities of the nuclear age.

Due to bookseller demand, Metropolitan Books announced Nobel Peace laureate Mohamed ElBaradei’s book “The Age of Deception: Nuclear Diplomacy in Treacherous Times,” will be rushed to international publication.

The Wall Street Journal writes, "As demonstrations in Egypt continue to dominate headlines, a New York publisher is rushing to print the publication of Nobel Peace laureate Mohamed ElBaradei's book "The Age of Deception: Nuclear Diplomacy in Treacherous Times" in a bid to capitalize on his role in the uprising.

The book is a first-person account of Mr. ElBaradei's work in international diplomacy as director general of the U.N.'s International Atomic Energy Agency, covering negotiations with Iraq, Iran, North Korea and Libya, among others. It will be published April 26 rather than in June. We've moved it up because the book is done, and everybody wants to know about him, what he thinks, and what he believes in," said Sara Bershtel, the publisher of Metropolitan Books, an imprint of Macmillan's Henry Holt & Co.

Opposition forces in Egypt, including the powerful Muslim Brotherhood, have lined up behind Mr. ElBaradei amid protests to oust Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, according to a White House official who said he expected the U.S. to reach out to Mr. ElBaradei soon.

Mr. ElBaradei, 68, wrote the book with the assistance of Laban Coblentz, who worked with him at the IAEA.

"I hope this book will give a human, behind the scenes look at Mr. ElBaradei's three terms as director general," said Mr. Coblentz, now chief of staff at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. "The eye-opening bits will be the degree to which political considerations by various governments trumped real avenues for diplomatic solutions."

The work, Ms. Bershtel said, is Mr. ElBaradei's first and will appeal to "anybody who wants to know who he is given his position in the world right now."She noted that while he was often in the news, readers previously caught only fragmentary glimpses of the man.

"As the head of the U.N.'s International Atomic Energy Agency, Mr. ElBaradei conducted key negotiations at crucial moments," she said.

The work will be published on the same day in a host of countries including Germany, Egypt, Holland, Portugal, Spain and England. Metropolitan, best known for its nonfiction titles, hasn't yet decided how many copies it is printing of the new book.

Mr. ElBaradei won the 2005 Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts at the International Atomic Energy Agency, where the committee noted his work to ensure that nuclear energy will be used only for peaceful purposes."-- Jeffrey A Trachtenberg, The Wall Street Journal

"As Mohamed ElBaradei has emerged to become the face of the opposition in Cairo, the world has scrambled to figure him out. They could start with his memoir. Mr. ElBaradei’s first book, “The Age of Deception: Nuclear Diplomacy in Treacherous Times,” will be published on April 26 by Metropolitan Books, an imprint of Henry Holt."-- The New York Times

"In recent days, Mohamed ElBaradei has emerged as a leader in the protests against the Egyptian government. His new prominence has prompted publisher Metropolitan Books to move up the publication date of his book, previously slated for June, to April.-- Los Angeles Times

"Metropolitan Books, an imprint of Henry Holt and Company, announced today that they’re pushing forward the release date of Mohamed ElBaradei’s book The Age of Deception: Nuclear Diplomacy in Treacherous Times. ElBaradei, a Nobel laureate for Peace, has had a heightened profile over the last week thanks to his positioning as leader of the opposition to Hosni Mubarak’s government."-- The New York Observer

"With the international spotlight focused on Egypt, and the continuing unrest there, Metropolitan Books is pushing up its forthcoming title from Mohamed ElBaradei" -- Publisher's Weekly

“ElBaradei has interesting stories to tell, and he tells them with verve... Anyone wishing to glimpse some of the central tensions in 21st-century international diplomacy should read The Age of Deception.”

“ElBaradei passionately advocates making diplomacy the main recourse in counterproliferation—and he’s right to do so.... The Age of Deception provides the grist for serious debate even as it helpfully chronicles the International Atomic Energy Agency’s journey from a relatively obscure group of technicians to an organization with growing international clout.”

“In this spirited memoir ElBaradei recounts ferreting out the nuclear secrets of the world’s most paranoid regimes, nerve-wracking adventures full of intrigue, car chases, and Pyongyang’s grim hotel accommodations. ElBaradei’s accounts of diplomacy are fascinating and rife with acerbic portraits of George W. Bush, Tony Blair, and other world leaders... The result is a lively, acerbic take on recent geo-political confrontations that makes an impassioned case for using persuasion rather than punishment to resolve the direst threats.”

About the author

Mohamed ElBaradei served as director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency from 1997 to 2009. Along with the IAEA, he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2005. Widely considered a potential Egyptian presidential candidate, ElBaradei lives in Cairo.

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