Resurrecting Empire Western Footprints and America's Perilous Path in the Middle East by Rashid Khalidi (Boston: Beacon Press, 2004. 240 pages.)

Abstract

Written at a critical historical juncture of Arab-western relations, Khalidi’s
text provides a refreshing and informed account of western intervention in
the Middle East. It stresses the catastrophic human and political consequences
of western colonial adventures in the region and the neglect of this
historical experience by current American foreign policy decision makers.
Although written primarily for a non-academic, American audience, it is a
useful and important text on contemporary Middle East history.
Accessible and highly readable, it provides insights into a series of
major issues currently relevant to the study of the Middle East: democracy, oil, Palestine, and Iraq. The first chapter provides an account of western
colonialism’s social, political, economic, and cultural legacy wrought on the
Middle East. Beginning with a brief introduction to the American march to
war with Iraq, the author establishes an approach employed throughout the
text: juxtaposing the historical western colonial experience with the
American invasion and occupation of Iraq. Locating western involvement in
the Middle East within the context of the Ottoman Empire’s decline, Khalidi
highlights the differential systems of colonial rule imposed on the region.
Throughout, he emphasizes the indigenous resistance to colonialism, thus
arguing against Orientalist discourses of indigenous acquiescence and subservience
to the supposed benevolence of colonialist rule. Two important
points emerge: first, that the political structures imposed by the colonial
regimes have persisted, and second, that the region’s political culture
remains deeply rooted in the anti-colonial experience. This experience –
entirely conditioned through European involvement in the region – meant
that for many, the United States never experienced the same political and
cultural hostility as Europe. Throughout the cold war, however, the United
States’ image as a disinterested outside power began to give way to an image
of the United States as a significant power broker in the region with many
interests, and, most importantly, few objectives compatible with the political
desires of the region’s peoples ...