Resurrecting Empire: Western Footprints and America's Perilous Path in the Middle East

Begun as the United States moved its armed forces into Iraq Rashid Khalidis powerful and thoughtful new book examines the record of Western involvement in the region and analyzes the likely outcome of our most recent Middle East incursions. Drawing on his encyclopedic knowledge of the political and cultural history of the entire region as well as interviews and documents Khalidi paints a chilling scenario of our present situation and yet offers a tangible alternative that can help us find the path to peace rather than Empire.. We all know that those who refuse to learn from history are doomed to repeat it. Sadly as Khalidi reveals with clarity and surety Americas leaders seem blindly committed to an ahistorical path of conflict occupation and colonial rule. Our current policies ignore rather than incorporate the lessons of experience. American troops in Iraq have seen first hand the consequences of U.S. led democratization in the region. The Israeli/Palestinian conflict seems intractable and U.S. efforts in recent years have only inflamed the situation. The footprints America follows have led us into the same quagmire that swallowed our European forerunners. Peace and prosperity for the region are nowhere in sight.. This cogent and highly accessible book provides the historical and cultural perspective so vital to understanding our present situation and to finding and pursuing a more effective and just foreign policy.