Counter Jihad: America’s Military Experience in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Syria

Williams (The Last Warlord), professor of Islamic history at the University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth, designs a primer for understanding America’s current strategic position in the Middle East and the way the U.S. government uses the military for political objectives. He relates that his university students know little to nothing of modern Middle East history, U.S. military operations there, nor who opposes those operations. Williams traces the roots of conflict in the Middle to biblical times, succinctly and comprehensively highlighting the major events of the last 3,000 years that are relevant to understanding the modern Middle East. He then argues that Operation Desert Storm placed the U.S., Al Qaeda, Iraq, and Afghanistan on a collision course leading up to the attack of 9/11 and subsequent military operations in Afghanistan and Iraq. Finally, the book brings the reader logically to the state of U.S. Middle East policy today, including ongoing operations in Syria, Iraq, and Afghanistan, as well as the host of other issues, including the recent terrorist attacks in Paris and Brussels. Williams manages to articulate complex concepts and history to provide a one-stop synopsis for the knowledgeable reader and a great introduction to the material for laypeople. [em](Dec.) [/em]