When Worlds Collide: Exploring the Ideological and Political Foundations of the Clash of Civilizations

by Gene W. Heck

Overview

In When Worlds Collide, Gene Heck challenges conventional wisdom that the introspective Wahhabi movement or classic Islamic doctrines are the root causes of modern Middle East terrorism. Instead, he persuasively argues that current regional unrest stems directly from internal perceptions of relative political and economic deprivation as well as from ad hoc abortive efforts by tunnel-visioned Western intelligence agencies to co-opt radical regional political-religious elements as opposing forces against other emerging global ideologies deemed more politically dangerous at the time.

The greatest opportunity to neutralize these militant fringe element in turn, lies not in the imposition of Anglo-American democracy, but rather through reaching out to moderate allies who are the vast majority within the Islamic world, promoting self-determined governing systems, and creating constructive development programs that ensure a more equitable distribution of wealth to the economically disenfranchised to whom the extremist groups now appeal.

Foreign policy analysts and decision makers, as well as scholars of both religion and Middle Eastern politics, will value Heck's detailed analysis.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780742558564
Publisher:	Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.
Publication date:	08/02/2007
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	280
Product dimensions:	6.31(w) x 9.47(h) x 0.84(d)

About the Author

Gene W. Heck is a senior business development economist operating in Saudi Arabia and throughout the Mideast. Prior to joining the private sector, he was a member of the United States Diplomatic Corps, with postings to the U.S. embassies in Saudi Arabia and Jordan. He also serves as adjunct professor of government and history with the University of Maryland.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1 Introduction
Chapter 2 Chapter 1. The Concept of Jihad in Historic Context
Chapter 3 Chapter 2. On the Islamic Doctrine of War
Chapter 4 Chapter 3. Getting From "There" To "Here"
Chapter 5 Chapter 4. Jihad: Do "Wahhabis" Get A Bad Rap?
Chapter 6 Chapter 5. Eastern Designs And Holy War
Chapter 7 Chapter 6. How Western "Jihad" Created Al-Qaeda
Chapter 8 Chapter 7. Is Western Democracy The Answer?
Chapter 9 Chapter 8. Is Eastern Capitalism The Answer?
Chapter 10 Chapter 9. Epilogue: Reaping The Whirlwind
Chapter 11 Appendix A: Islam And Foreign Policy
Chapter 12 Appendix B: The Islamic Code of Conduct for "Just War"
Chapter 13 Appendix C: The Islamic Code of Conduct for "Just Peace"
Chapter 14 Appendix D: Religious Verses As Militant Propaganda

Editorial Reviews

When Worlds Collide is remarkably learned and contains an extraordinarily useful amount of documentation about things one reads fleetingly but never sees substantiated. Dr. Gene Heck is to be congratulated for a very impressive achievement.

Jon B. Alterman Jon B. Alterman

When Worlds Collide is remarkably learned and contains an extraordinarily useful amount of documentation about things one reads fleetingly but never sees substantiated. Dr. Gene Heck is to be congratulated for a very impressive achievement.

Jon B. Alterman

When Worlds Collide is remarkably learned and contains an extraordinarily useful amount of documentation about things one reads fleetingly but never sees substantiated. Dr. Gene Heck is to be congratulated for a very impressive achievement.--Jon B. Alterman, Center for Strategic and International Studies

From the Publisher