William R. Polk taught Arabic literature and history at Harvard University and the University of Chicago, served on the Policy Planning Council under President Kennedy, negotiated the Egyptian-Israeli Suez ceasefire, and founded the Adlai Stevenson Institute of International Affairs. He has written nineteen books.
“Crusade and Jihad is a challenging and interesting book, well
written and provocative.”—Hugh Kennedy, Literary Review
"In this magisterial treatment, William Polk cuts to the core of
contemporary conflicts with the Muslim world, providing an
accessible, often troubling account."—Joel Gordon,University of
Arkansas, author of Nasser: Hero of the Arab Nation
“A tour de force covering centuries of history from
the perspective of the people who lived in the Muslim
world, Crusade and Jihad offers a fresh and urgently needed angle
on the present crisis in the Middle East that you will find
nowhere else.”—Ilan Pappe, author of The Forgotten Palestinians: A
History of the Palestinians in Israel
“William Polk combines analytical powers and profound insight with
a lively, accessible style. Crusade and Jihad is a pleasure for the
mind.”—Uri Avnery, author and peace activist
"With rigor and sympathy, William Polk has produced a masterpiece
to enlighten us all. No one who reads Crusade and Jihad will put it
down without an increased knowledge and understanding of the
crucial relationship between the Islamic and Western worlds."—
Charles Glass, author of Tribes with Flags and Syria Burning: A
Short History of a Catastrophe
“A brilliant study, analytical and authoritative. There are few
overviews that can rival the depth and the range of this work.”—
K.N. Chaudhuri, FBA Emeritus Professor of The History of European
Expansion, European University, Florence, Italy
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