American Orientalism

Terror, wars and the deepest mistrust have defined US relations with the Middle East. Since World War II, no region has proved more vital to US interests, nor more difficult to bend to those interests. Why have relations between these two regions been so difficult? Why have they been marked so consistently by failure? What needs to change? Douglas Little’s work, the fruit of a lifetime’s study, provides a complete history of the impassioned love-hate relationship between America and the Middle East. Charting the course of their affair since World War II, he has focused particularly on the complex, often inconsistent attitudes and interests that have shaped US policy in the region.