Engaging the Muslim World by Juan Cole

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From Barnes & Noble

University of Michigan professor Juan Cole is an academic who can never be accused of cloistering himself in an ivory tower. This respected historian of the Middle East and South Asia is also the keeper of InformedComment, arguably the most influential blog on events unfolding in those regions. Cole's Engaging the Muslim World tackles perhaps the central question in American foreign policy: How do we sort out the problems, possibilities, and dangers in Iraq, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iran, and other nations in the Middle East? Cole's synthesis is precise and generally optimistic (he argues, for instance, that al-Qaeda should not be confused with a mass movement like communism or fascism), but his specificity belies any view that he is simply case making. This is a valuable book, certain to widely discussed and reviewed as the Obama administration reevaluates foreign policy.

From the Publisher

With clarity and concision, Juan Cole disentangles the key foreign policy issues that America is grappling with today—from our dependence on Middle East petroleum to the promotion of Islamophobia by the American right—and delivers his informed advice on the best way forward. Cole’s unique ability to take the true Muslim perspective into account when looking at East-West relations make his insights well-rounded and prescient as he suggests a course of action on fundamental issues like religion, oil, war and peace. With substantive recommendations for the next administration on how to move forward in key countries such as Iraq, Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Iran, Engaging the Muslim World reveals how we can repair the damage of the disastrous foreign policy of the last eight years and forge ahead on a path of peace and prosperity.

Cole argues:

* Al-Qaeda is not a mass movement like fascism or communism but rather a small political cult like the American far right circles that produced Timothy McVeigh.

* The Muslim world is not a new Soviet Bloc but rather is full of close allies or potential allies.

* There can be no such thing as American energy independence, we will need Islamic oil to survive as a superpower into the next century.

* Iran is not an implacable enemy of the U.S.—it can and should be fruitfully engaged, which is a necessary step for American energy security since Tehran can play the spoiler in the strategic Persian Gulf.

* America's best hope in Iraq is careful, deliberate military disengagement, rather than either through immediate withdrawal or a century-long military presence—in other words, both the Democrat and Republican presidential candidates are wrong.

The New York Times - David E. Sanger

Like Lawrence Wright's remarkable Looming Tower, published almost three years ago, this field guide to the politics of modern Islam traces the history of the different movements, whose violent offshoots are still morphing into new forms. Along the way, Cole, a historian at the University of Michigan, explores what he sees as the twin dynamic of "Islam Anxiety" in the United States and "American Anxiety" in the Arab world. Readers of Cole's blog, Informed Comment, will find many of the arguments familiar, though they are well assembled here, with essays on the myths surrounding Saudi Wahhabism, the rise of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt and the unintended side effects of American meddling in Iran.

Publishers Weekly

University of Michigan history professor and blogger Cole (Sacred Space and Holy War ) takes aim at the Bush administration's "Islamophobic discourse," highlighting that some of the very people who promulgated the phobia (Dick Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld) once sang a different tune. He calls instead for evenhanded and pragmatic policy changes, not least a reckoning with the heterogeneity of the Muslim world. Yet for all his expertise, Cole fails to source some of his harshest accusations; moreover, for a scholar championing greater subtlety of thought, he too often discards nuance himself. To the extent that Cole argues against painting the Middle East with overly broad strokes, he brings a constructive addition to public discourse; his failure to be consistent is a lost opportunity. (Mar.)

Nader Entessar - Library Journal

One of the most talked about but least successful undertakings by Western countries in recent years have been policies designed to engage the Muslim world. Similarly, the Muslim-majority countries have largely failed to change stereotypes of Islam and the Middle East in the West's subconscious. In this excellent book, Cole (Richard P. Mitchell Professor of History, Univ. of Michigan), a leading American expert on the Islamic world, seeks to dispel many of the persistent myths about Islam and the Middle East. The author systematically analyzes many major topics, such as terrorism, oil, Wahhabism, and the Iraq war, and highlights popular myths and prejudices associated with these issues. Cole convincingly demonstrates why one should not confuse Muslim activism with hidebound fundamentalism. The chapter dealing with Iran is particularly informative and evenhanded, and the analysis of myriad issues in U.S.-Iran relations is a welcome antidote to the barrage of alarmist commentaries on Iran in much of the U.S. press. This readable and intelligent book is a must read for policymakers and the informed public. Highly recommended for all academic and public libraries.

• Table of Contents

Table of Contents