The Last Crusade: Americanism and the Islamic Reformation

The United States, argues Michael A. Palmer, is engaged in a political crusade to modernize the Islamic world. Americanism is in the vanguard of modernity's relentless advance, promoting capitalist markets and democratic institutions. To compete, Islamic societies must adopt a more secular and material approach, as have the West and South and East Asia. But these principles conflict with Islamic fundamentals.

Once a vibrant force, much of the Muslim world spent four centuries as prisoner of ...