by Jim Sciutto
First published 2008
Jim Sciutto draws from nearly 100 reporting assignments across Muslim countries to examine how anti-American sentiment has spread beyond extremist circles into mainstream Arab society. The ABC News correspondent documents his encounters with a diverse cast: a former Al-Qaeda fighter now working as an electrician in Saudi Arabia, a Jordanian university student prepared to die attacking Americans in Baghdad, a Christian Lebanese woman backing Hezbollah, and disillusioned Egyptian democracy supporters who feel abandoned by Washington. Sciutto argues that America's perceived war on Islam has created a unifying force across the Arab world, transforming ordinary citizens into adversaries. The Iraq conflict serves as a powerful recruitment mechanism, while conspiracy theories flourish among Muslims who believe America targets their autonomy. Yet Sciutto finds reason for optimism in an Afghan female student hopeful about American reconstruction efforts and a reformed London jihadi counseling young British Muslims away from hatred. He concludes that democratic principles retain respect even as American actions face condemnation, offering policymakers a path to rebuild relationships with the Arab world.
Genres: international-relations, politics, non-fiction, 21st-century, middle-east, current-affairs
Vibes: intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, found-family
Setting: Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Baghdad, Lebanon, Egypt, Afghanistan
Period: 21st-century
288 pages · Hardcover · Crown