Islam and politics; Islam and West.

In New World Empire, William H. Thornton offers an alternative road map for America's relations with the Islamic world. He cogently argues that neoglobalist policies adopted after 9/11 have pushed much of the Muslim world into the enemy camp. Worse still, the White House has redefined America in stark contrast to this phantom adversary. The resulting new world empire fails to recognize that jihadic militants have their worst enemy in civil Islam. Thornton sets forth a powerful case for salvaging this vital link between America and the world it has lost.
(source: Nielsen Book Data)

• Contents: Introduction
• Chapter 1: Understanding Pakistan
• Chapter 2: Zia's Jihad
• Chapter 3: Omar's Jihad
• Chapter 4: Osama's Jihad
• Chapter 5: Global Jihad
• Chapter 6: Thinking the Unthinkable: Implications of a Jihadist State in Pakistan
• Chapter 7: Helping Pakistan Appendix: Key Persons and Timeline.
• (source: Nielsen Book Data)

Pakistan and the United States have been locked in a deadly embrace for decades. Successive American presidents from both parties have pursued narrow short-term interests in the South Asian nation, and many of the resulting policies proved counterproductive in the long term, contributing to political instability and a radicalized public. This background has helped set the stage for the global jihad confronting much of the world today. In Deadly Embrace, Bruce Riedel explores the forces behind these developments, explaining how and why the history of Pakistan-U.S. relations has unfolded as it has. He explains what the United States can do now to repair the damage and how it can avoid making similar mistakes in dealing with extremist forces in Pakistan and beyond. Riedel is one of America's foremost authorities on U.S. security, South Asia, and terrorism, and he helped to craft President Obama's 2009 speech referring to the Pakistan-Afghanistan borderlands as the "most dangerous region of the world." He follows up The Search for al Qaeda , his influential 2008 analysis of the terror network's ideology and leadership, with a sober, authoritative, and sometimes alarming look at the history, importance, and current role of Pakistan, epicenter of the global jihad movement, beginning with the history of U.S.-Pakistan relations since the partitioning of the subcontinent in 1947. The relationship between Pakistan and America is a fascinating yet muddled story, meandering through periods of friendship and enmity, symbiosis and distrust: it's no wonder that people in both nations are confused. Deadly Embrace explains how the United States, on several occasions, actually helped the foes of democracy in Pakistan and aided in the development of the very enemies it is now fighting in the region. The book seeks to unravel this paradox, revealing and interpreting the tortuous path of relations between two very different nations, which remain, in many ways, stuck with each other.
(source: Nielsen Book Data)

• Introduction
• The case studies: Morocco, Jordan, and Yemen
• Final conclusions
• Policy implications.

• The EU, US and Political Islam: Strategies for Engagement: an Introduction-- M.Pace A Critical Analysis of EU Democracy Promotion: The Case of Egypt-- A.Norval & A.Abdulrahman Consolidation of Democracy or Polarisation of Society? The impact of EUrope on Turkey-- E.Akcali Democratization in Iran: A role for the EU?-- S.J.Holliday Challenging Preconceptions: Women's Experiences of Islamic Resistance Movements in Lebanon and the Palestinian Territories-- M.Holt Democracy Promotion in the Context of an Occupied Nation? The Case of Palestine-- M.Pace The Islamism Debate Revisited: In Search of 'Islamist Democrats'-- A.El-Affendi The Politics of 'Religious Tolerance' in Post-Communist Albania: Ideology, Security and Euro-Atlantic Integration-- O.Barbullushi America's Freedom Dilemma: National Interests and the Pursuit of Middle Eastern Democracy-- O.Hassan Europe, the US and Political Islam: Strategies for Engagement: Conclusion-- S.J.Holliday.
• (source: Nielsen Book Data)

Much attention has been paid to the question of whether Islamist movements are truly committed to democracy. Indeed, there has been an increasing focus on so-called 'moderate' Islamists with whom the West can engage. Although there is a lot of debate about the need to bring Islamists into a dialogue about democracy, very few efforts have been devoted to ideas about what this would mean in practical terms: Who are the most appropriate actors on both sides to take part in any engagement strategy? What issues should be prioritised in discussions? And indeed, what can EU and American policymakers do if Islamists themselves are unwilling to engage? The contributors of this volume take to task the 'nuts and bolts' of engaging Islamists. Theoretical and overview chapters are balanced by case studies of Egypt, Palestine, Lebanon, Albania, Turkey, Iran, Iraq and Afghanistan. The chapters draw on extensive research on Islamist parties and movements and Western policy towards them, over the past decade or more.
(source: Nielsen Book Data)