American Raj: Liberation or Domination?: Resolving the Conflict Between the West and the Muslim World [Hardcover]

Eric Margolis (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 2008

In 1993, political scientist Samuel Huntington turned conventional political wisdom on its head by arguing that future conflicts wouldn’t be between nations but between civilizations — notably, between the secular West and the fundamentalist Islamic world. At the same time, Eric S. Margolis was arguing the same point from a different position: that of a journalist reporting from within the Muslim world. American Raj is the culmination of Margolis’ years of boots-on-the-ground insight into the way the Muslim world really operates. It takes readers inside the thinking and worldview of anti-Western Islamic radicals throughout the Muslim world and identifies the historical, political, and religious factors that have played a major role in generating hostility toward the West. Employing the model of Britain’s imperialist hegemony in Asia, Margolis explores in fascinating detail whether the West risks a replay of the Raj experience or whether we face an entirely new world order.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

ERIC S. MARGOLIS is an award-winning, internationally syndicated columnist. His articles appear in The New York Times, The International Herald Tribune,and The Los Angeles Times.He is a regular columnist with The National Post and he often appears as an expert on foreign affairs on CNN, Fox News, CTV, and NPR. His internet column reaches 100,000 readers a day and is carried around the globe

Product Details

• Hardcover: 400 pages
• Publisher: Key Porter Books; First edition (October 1, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1554700876
• ISBN-13: 978-1554700875
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.4 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #289,047 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Profound Grasp of History and its Ramifications, February 25, 2009

By 

Bruce G. Richardson - See all my reviews
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This review is from: American Raj: Liberation or Domination?: Resolving the Conflict Between the West and the Muslim World (Hardcover)

With "American Raj", we are fortunate indeed to have as narrator an author with decades of experience in the hot spots of the world, an author who really gets it. Given his encyclopedic-knowledge of the Middle East and South Asia, and Were it within my power, I would unhesitatingly nominate Mr. Margolis for the post of U.S. Secretary of State.

Laid out in exhaustingly researched detail, "America Raj" is the story of colonial overlords, possessed with a Mongol-like disdain for non-western lives and an insatiable thirst for the resources of other nations. Dressed up as a war on something, terror, drugs, humanitarian casuses,etc., etc., western powers have and continue to devour the resources of others as might a blight of locusts in a wheat field.

As one of my favorite literary pugilists, Mr. Margolis pulls no punches in his analysis of the root-cause of what today is termed "terrorism."

"American Raj" guides us through the turbulent history of colonialism, that has, beyond doubt, certified that resistance to foreign occupation and resource exploitation is [the] principal motive-force behind what is conveniently coined as terrorism by western powers, currently their self-serving leit motif for state-sponsored plunder.

In summation, "American Raj" is the best of the genre regards the currency and philosphy of the axiom that those "who ignore history are doomed to repeat it." Policy makers and imperialists in the West would do well to read this book and heed many of the recommendations articulated by the author. The road to a peaceful co-existence with the Muslim world is profoundly yet precisely chartered in this masterful work.

Bruce G. Richardson
Author: "Afghanistan, A Search for Truth"

17 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "american raj" by eric margolis, December 9, 2008

By 

Walter F. Niendorff (Weston, Vermont) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: American Raj: Liberation or Domination?: Resolving the Conflict Between the West and the Muslim World (Hardcover)

"American Raj" is an exciting journey through the history of colonialism, sectarianism, economic, social and military developments that have shaped the nature of the diverse nations of the Muslim world. Margolis has a grasp of the subject that is both profound and unique, which makes the book a milestone in the portrayal of the Muslim world's culture, complexities, and dynamism.
Equally the author gives a chilling account of the self serving opportunism, cynicism, and arrogance of many western powers in their dealings with the Muslim world, which creates further conflict, and a deep distrust of western institutions and intentions.
"American Raj" contains masterful narrative, analysis, and comment, as well as a road map of constructive action vital to improving the relations between the West and the Muslim world. A brilliant book on the subject of a significant 21st Century challange.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Accurate protrayal of history and psychology., January 24, 2009

By 

Gatsu "Guts" (Canada) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: American Raj: Liberation or Domination?: Resolving the Conflict Between the West and the Muslim World (Hardcover)

Margolis describes key historical events in the Muslim world and in the west and accurately talks about the results. He accurately describes the complexities of the Muslim world and the misinformation rampant throughout the west and the east.

A very good and enlightening book.