Customer Reviews

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

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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"

"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.

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.

Eric Margolis gives an incredibly well researched account of the complexities of the situation in the Middle East.
I learned much from it and it has given me a solid insight into the present dangers based on the misconduct of Western Nations.
His solutions seem easy. But probably not possible.
Let us hope his book will help the world to find a way out of the conflicts.

There is only one objection I have to make which concerns the way he describes the post-war situation in Indonesia.
Pages 64/65.
I will in no way diminish the ravenous behavior of the Dutch through the ages .It made that nation filthy rich and the shame of it is well etched into the Dutch national psyche. We are certainly not proud of it.

Then, after '45, the Dutch army went to fight the uprising.
Again, awful things happened but there was no bombing of cities. For the simple reason that we had nothing to bomb with, like when the Germans entered in '45.
We gave up after 5 days when Rotterdam was so cowardly bombed. The army was hopelessly outdated and untrained.
Also, the "cities" in Indonesia could not have been more than "kampongs" at that time.
And the atrocities were committed by soldiers, not by the regular Dutch population.
We were certainly not "Wilhelmina's Willing Executioners" as Margolis makes us believe.

I have spoken to my cousin, now 85, who was there as a soldier,and also to a very knowledgable historian.
They both gave me a clear picture of the circumstances and the aftermath.
First of all, many atrocities were committed by the invading Japanese who simply walked in and imprisoned completely innocent British and Dutch citizens, doling out torture, slave labor, rape,starvation and humiliation with great enthusiasm.
One of my friends and her family were lucky enough to survive the ordeal but returned to Holland broken in body and spirit.

Several other details should be taken into consideration.
There were several pockets of the Indonesian population which were pro-Dutch and migrated to Holland as soon as they could. They were, needless to say, easily integrated and I remember having an Indonesian doctor as well as an Indonesian dentist. And friends.
Then came Sukarno, Dutch-educated, a populist who joined whatever was most advantageous to him which was, at that time, communism.
When it turned out after a few years that life under him was far from peachy the call went out to get the Dutch back in.
Since it was too late for that the second wave of Indonesians emigrated to Holland. Greeted with understandably less enthusiasm . But they were accepted.

As far as the Dutch making so much of the German occupation,[ which apparently is not granted because of Indonesia] , I will ask you to leave it up to us to judge the impact.
No, we didn't fight and not a soul will tell you we can be compared to the Poles or the Russians.
But there was enough trauma, starvation and cold, reprisal killings, deportations, and also torture to make life extremely miserable. Specially for parents with children and people with Jewish friends.
It was no picnic I can assure you. In the end we still got a good dose of V-1 and V-11 rockets over our heads.
We were powerless.

I hope I have put some statements made by Margolis into a better light.
He was not there.
I was.

I would certainly suggest that Mr M send copies of his book, *American Raj,* to all who failed to heed his warnings and observations about Islam's portion of the World. Having been a keen observer myself for several many years, it seems almost unthinkable that talented persons such Mr M have been ignored while the bumblers and fools have been given free rein and reign over American foreign policy. This book should be read by all who have had any interest in the subject.

Absolutely outstanding!Kudos to Eric Margolis, who has excelled in this account pertaining to the roots of the conflict between the Muslim world and the West.
It is definitely a must-read book for anyone interested in this topic.

The Middle East has long been in conflict with its Western neighbors, but how does this conflict end? "American Raj: Liberation or Domination?" is a scholarly look at this long standing conflict and what it may take to finally achieve peace between these two powerful entities. Being bluntly honest and frank, Eric Margolis does not sugar coat any of his ideals behind political correctness, and plainly states why the West is hated in the Muslim world, the inner turmoil of the Middle east and how it fuels the fires of hate, and much more. "American Raj" is enthralling, a grade-A choice for those who want to best understand the centuries of hate.

Read this book to learn about the reality of the Middle East and Islam. But, be warned that Mr. M has strong opinions about the Bush Administration, so keep this in mind and try not to detract from the wealth of insight and information this book includes.

This book shines as true guiding light and should be made part of curriculum of every educational institution. Definitely a required reading; anyone who misses on this one will forever be lost and remain ignorant of world around him/her.