Review by Choice Review
It makes sense to understand the reasoning of those you oppose--even if doing so exposes you to truths about yourself that you do not want to see. Tschirgi (American Univ., Cairo) rejects simplistic slogans--particularly the idea the Arab world is somehow exceptional, or that 9/11 is a product of an unreasoning hatred of American freedoms--and offers a comparative analysis of the conditions underlying asymmetric conflict. Building from short case studies of the Zapatista rebellion (Mexico), Al-Gama'a al-Islamiyya (Egypt), and the Ogoni uprising (Nigeria), the author constructs a general theory of marginalized violent internal conflict that focuses on communal reactions to globalization. Based on this analysis, he calls for the US to abandon neoconservativism (along the way providing evidence that the invasion and occupation of Iraq was motivated in part by a desire to relocate Palestinian refugees), and he finds a need to reformulate international law to condemn--and, if necessary, intervene against--states that marginalize elements of their own people. The writing is a model of clarity, the arguments are well reasoned, and whatever one thinks of its conclusions, it is a book that deserves a wide audience. Summing Up: Recommended. All readership levels. D. McIntosh Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Review by Choice Review
