America and Political Islam: Clash of Cultures or Clash of Interests.(Review) (book review)

America and Political Islam: Clash of Cultures or Clash of Interests. By Fawaz A. Gerges. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1999. 282p. $59.95 cloth, $18.95 paper.

The central theme of this book is that U.S. strategy in the Middle East is fundamentally flawed but not irreparable. This may be the result of the inherent mismatch between strategy and policy and, more significantly, between America's principles and interests. In particular, the author argues that the U.S. approach toward Islam is "beset with ambiguities and tensions" (p. 3). Furthermore, he stresses that ...

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