This, I believe, should be the reigning thought in both American and European politics, and it is what I am striving to produce here:
In a perfect segue, I'd like to briefly opine on two books I've recently been reading. Raymond Ibrahim's The Al Qaeda Reader, and Vali Nasr's Forces of Fortune. I haven't finished either, yet, so I can only (as the post title suggests) give preliminary reviews.
Ibrahim's book is a compilation of previously untranslated essays and treatises (mostly from Ayman Al-Zawahiri, AQ's spiritual go-to) regarding relationships with the West, war, and appropriate Islam conduct during (his words) "Offensive Jihad". Ibrahim has divided the book into sections for both "Theology" and "Propaganda" - the former intended for an Islamic audience. It is, for the uninitiated, somewhat daunting. It is also, however, one of the best introductions to what we commonly term "radical" Islam. Zawahiri goes about, very quickly, demolishing the idea that AQ's mission is radical - rather, a common occurrence in history.
Nasr's book deserves more attention than I've paid it, thus far. His analysis of Iranian interests in the Arab world (particularly Ahmadinejad's rise to power) is fascinating, and his thesis that Iranian economic concerns trump their military aspirations is a theory well worth considering. I'm not completely sold, and I haven't gotten far enough into the book to comment on his dissection of Arab states' agendas. I'll post a fuller report when I've finished both, and taken some useful notes.
Expect a Fourth of July post tomorrow - there's much to discuss given the world's current state.
Real leadership would also entail diagnosing the Middle East as it truly is. It would acknowledge Islam as a fact of life in the region but understand that this does not mean we have to pretend it is an asset. It is a volatile antagonist with diverse elements — some to be courted, some to be competed with, and some that must be defeated because they are implacably hostile.Couldn't have said it better myself. Andrew's books, by the way (particularly Willful Blindness) are well worth reading. Mr. McCarthy is something of an autodidact regarding Islam, but he has grasped some of the fundamental issues provoking the continual clashes between the West and the Islamic world. I don't agree with him consistently - I think his reading of Islam is occasionally too simplistic, and ignores native Arab tradition - but largely, I believe he has some very sensible ideas.
In a perfect segue, I'd like to briefly opine on two books I've recently been reading. Raymond Ibrahim's The Al Qaeda Reader, and Vali Nasr's Forces of Fortune. I haven't finished either, yet, so I can only (as the post title suggests) give preliminary reviews.
Ibrahim's book is a compilation of previously untranslated essays and treatises (mostly from Ayman Al-Zawahiri, AQ's spiritual go-to) regarding relationships with the West, war, and appropriate Islam conduct during (his words) "Offensive Jihad". Ibrahim has divided the book into sections for both "Theology" and "Propaganda" - the former intended for an Islamic audience. It is, for the uninitiated, somewhat daunting. It is also, however, one of the best introductions to what we commonly term "radical" Islam. Zawahiri goes about, very quickly, demolishing the idea that AQ's mission is radical - rather, a common occurrence in history.
Nasr's book deserves more attention than I've paid it, thus far. His analysis of Iranian interests in the Arab world (particularly Ahmadinejad's rise to power) is fascinating, and his thesis that Iranian economic concerns trump their military aspirations is a theory well worth considering. I'm not completely sold, and I haven't gotten far enough into the book to comment on his dissection of Arab states' agendas. I'll post a fuller report when I've finished both, and taken some useful notes.
Expect a Fourth of July post tomorrow - there's much to discuss given the world's current state.
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