A Sense of Siege: The Geopolitics of Islam and the West (Rand Study)

By Graham E. Fuller and Ian O. Lesser

Book Overview

"The clash of civilizations" has become a common phrase in discussions of U.S.-Middle East relations. This book explores the nature of the friction between the Muslim world and Western states, looking at legitimate perceptions and grievances on both sides involving historical, political, economic, cultural, psychological, and strategic elements. Arguing that "Islam versus the West" does not represent the arena of the next global ideological struggle, the authors examine specific issues of a bilateral nature that require careful handling to prevent the consolidation of states into opposing blocs. They discuss Islam's efforts to politically enhance the real power of Muslim states and to equalize relations with the West in the strategic arena; the enlarged role of Islam in the internal politics of Muslim countries; and the urgency of political, economic, and social change to break away from traditional authoritarian orders. A central theme of the book is that political Islam threatens the established order in most Muslim countries far more than it threatens the West and that violent confrontation can best be circumvented by integrating Islamist forces into the political process.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0813321492
• ISBN13: 9780813321493
• Release Date: February 1995
• Publisher: Routledge
• Length: 204 Pages
• Weight: 0.80 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 6.0" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

Required Reading for the Politically Naive

This is an excellent treatise on both past as well as present state of affairs/relations between Islam and the West. The author should be commended for his forthrightness and bluntness in stating these differences, very close to the level Huntington himself articulated in his Clash of Civilizations. What is important to understand is the role Saudi-funded pet projects like the American Muslim Council play for the State Dept. and for U.S.-Islamic relations. A Must read for those [who] believe that there exists no fundamental difference between the U.S. and Islam, or that any differences that do exist can simply be overcome with "dawah".