Douglas Little explores the stormy American relationship with the Middle East from World War II through the war in Iraq, focusing particularly on the complex and often inconsistent attitudes and interests that helped put the United States on a collision course with radical Islam early in the new millennium. After documenting the persistence of ""orientalist"" stereotypes in American popular culture, Little examines oil, Israel, and other aspects of U.S. policy. He concludes that a peculiar blend of arrogance and ignorance has led American officials to overestimate their ability to shape events in the Middle East from 1945 through the present day, and that it has been a driving force behind the Iraq war. For this updated third edition, Little covers events through 2007, including a new chapter on the Bush Doctrine, demonstrating that in many important ways, George W. Bush's Middle Eastern policies mark a sharp break with the past.

About the Author
Douglas Little is professor of history and dean of the college at Clark University in Worcester, Massachusetts. He is author of Malevolent Neutrality: The United States, Great Britain, and the Origins of the Spanish Civil War.


Book Information
ISBN 9780807858981
Author Douglas Little
Format Paperback
Page Count 464
Imprint The University of North Carolina Press
Publisher The University of North Carolina Press
Weight(grams) 680g