Over the last sixty years, Washington has been a major player in the politics of the Middle East. From Iran in the 1950s, to the Gulf War of 1991, to the devastation of contemporary Iraq, US policy has had a profound impact on the domestic affairs of the region. Anti-Americanism is a pervasive feature of modern Middle East public opinion. But far from being intrinsic to 'Muslim political culture', scepticism of the US agenda is directly linked to the regional policies pursued by Washington. By exploring critical points of regional crisis, Kylie Baxter and Shahram Akbarzadeh elaborate on the links between US policy and popular distrust of the United States.This book also examines the interconnected nature of events in this geo-strategically vital region. Accessible and easy to follow, it is designed to provide a clear and concise overview of complex historical and political material. It's key features include: maps illustrating key events and areas of discontent; text boxes on topics of interest related to the Arab/Israeli Wars, Iranian politics, foreign interventions in Afghanistan and Iraq, the wars of the Persian Gulf, September 11 and the rise of Islamist movements; and, further reading lists and a selection of suggested study questions at the end of each chapter.

Over the last sixty years, Washington has been a major player in the politics of the Middle East. From Iran in the 1950s, to the Gulf War of 1991, to the devastation of contemporary Iraq, US policy has had a profound impact on the domestic affairs of the region. Anti-Americanism is a pervasive feature of modern Middle East public opinion. But far from being intrinsic to 'Muslim political culture', scepticism of the US agenda is directly linked to the regional policies pursued by Washington. By exploring critical points of regional crisis, Kylie Baxter and Shahram Akbarzadeh elaborate on the links between US policy and popular distrust of the United States. The book also examines the interconnected nature of events in this geo-strategically vital region. Accessible and easy to follow, it is designed to provide a clear and concise overview of complex historical and political material. Key features include: maps illustrating key events and areas of discontent text boxes on topics of interest related to the Arab/Israeli Wars, Iranian politics, foreign interventions in Afghanistan and Iraq, the wars of the Persian Gulf, September 11 and the rise of Islamist movements further reading lists and a selection of suggested study questions at the end of each chapter.

Since the events of September 11, 2001 in the United States, Western Muslim communities have been placed under a social and political microscope. Omar Bakri Muhammad and his organization al-Muhajiroun, based in London from the mid-1990s until 2004, endorsed militant jihad and generated a very public profile as the voice of 'Islamism' in the United Kingdom. Al-Muhajiroun's tenure in the United Kingdom spanned a crucial decade in international relations and the organization acted as a lightening rod for the debates surrounding Islamism in the West. Drawing on interviews with Bakri, British Muslims and the Call to Global Jihad explores the ways in which al-Muhajiroun attempted, and ultimately failed, to 'walk the line' between Islamism and life in a Western state.