Islamic World
- Islam: A Mosaic, Not a Monolith
- By VARTAN GREGORIAN
Eye-opening, brief discussion. A very good place to start. Good footnotes.
- Islam: A Short History (2000)
- By KAREN ARMSTRONG
- The Oxford History of Islam (1999)
- Edited by JOHN L. ESPOSITO
Comprehensive, first rate introduction. Includes chapters on Muhammad and his companions;
Islamic art and architecture, Islamic science, European colonialism and the emergence of modern
Muslim states. Excellent bibliography and index. Unholy War by Esposito is also good.
Latter used in Political Science 210 in Fall 2002.
- The Political Language of Islam (1988)
- By BERNARD LEWIS
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Middle East
- Arab Reform Bulletin
- First-rate, monthly publication. Electronic subscriptions are free.
- Democratic Impulses versus Imperial Interests: America’s New Mid-East Conundrum”
- By RAY TAKEYH AND NIKOLAS K.GVOSDEV
Provocative argument that US interests in the Middle East would be better served by the promotion of “liberal autocracy” rather than “democracy.” In Orbis, Summer 2003.
- The Dream Palace of the Arabs: A Generation’s Odyssey (1998)
- By FOUAD AJAMI
- How a generation of Arab intellectuals tried to introduce cultural renewal in their homelands—and
the forces that defeated them from a knowledgeable and very influential scholar.
- In the Shadow of the Prophet: The Struggle for the Soul of Islam (1998)
- By MILTON VIORST
Thoughtful examination of the rise of Islamic fundamentalism in the Middle East. Well-written.
Note: Viorst will be speaking at RWU on November 5, 2003.
- Palestine, Iraq, and American Strategy
- By MICHAEL SCOTT DORAN
Case for aggressive US engagement in the Middle East. Helps explain what
certain influential people within the Bush Administration were and are thinking.
In Foreign Affairs, January/February 2003.
- The Peace Process (2001)
- By WILLIAM B. QUANDT
Good introduction to Arab-Israeli negotiations since 1967; focused on US mediation efforts.
Used in POLSC 315. Among other things, Quandt worries that stalemate in the negotiations increasingly legitimates Muslim extremists.
- Promoting Democracy in the Middle East: The Problem of US Credibility
- By MARINA OTTAWAY
- What Went Wrong? Western Impact and Middle Eastern Response (2002)
- By BERNARD LEWIS
Iraq
- After Saddam
- In depth website on Iraq “After Saddam.” Good source of information. Good links.
- Bagdad Bulletin
- Coverage of the reconstruction efforts. Appears independent.
- Defense Department Briefings
- Where to find briefings for Defense Department reporters, both the daily questioning of US DOD officials and also very useful “background” briefings offered to reporters.
- Frontline
- Very useful multifaceted analysis of Saddam Hussein’s ability to hold on to power—and Iraqi attitudes towards him.
- The Greatest Threat: Iraq, Weapons of Mass Destruction, and the Crisis of Global Security (2000)
- By RICHARD BUTLER
The former executive director of the UNSCOM mission addresses the need—and requirements--for a multilateral approach; the main alternative to the approach taken by the current administration.
- Guiding Principles for U.S. Post-Conflict Policy in Iraq
- By: FRANK G. WISNER, JR., RACHEL BRONSON, EDWARD P. DJEREJIAN
Council on Foreign Relations report.
- Iraq Press News and reports
- Kurdistan: In the Shadow of History (1998)
- By SUSAN MEISELAS
Story of the Kurds, largely in pictures.
- Official website of the Coalition Provisional Authority in Iraq, i.e., the US occupation office.
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- State Departments
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- The Sunni Insurgency in Iraq
- By AHMED S. HASHIM
Middle East Institute. Independent analysis of the political situation in Iraq as of mid-August 2003 by a professor at the US Naval War College. Very useful.
- Terrorism and the War with Iraq
- By DANIEL BYMAN
Iraq Memo #12 (March 3, 2003)
Brookings Institution
- Voice of the Iraqi independents
- Useful press round-up.
- WMD Report
- Unclassified version of what weapons of mass destruction the US government believed Iraq possessed or was likely to possess in this decade; this, being the public net assessment (including dissent) of all components of the US intelligence community in late 2002
Significance for the US
- The Age of Sacred Terror
- By DANIEL BENJAMIN AND STEVEN SIMON
Informed analysis by former staff members of President Clinton’s national security council. Especially useful for what the US government is and is not doing about the “jihadists.” Currently being used in POLSC 210.
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- America—Still Unprepared, Still in Danger
- By: GARY HART AND WARREN B. RUDMAN, Co-Chairs
Council on Foreign Relations
- CIA Briefings
- Briefings on the broader issue of terrorism reflecting information from US intelligence sources.
Other
- Preparing for retaliatory attacks.
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- The World According to Usama bin Laden
- By AHMED S. HASHIM
In the Naval War College Review, Autumn 2001.
