The Colonial Present: Afghanistan, Palestine, Iraq

Gregory's powerful and sobering critique of U.S. policy in Afghanistan, Israel/Palestine, and Iraq is a brutally accurate and important analysis. For any American reader molded by the jingoistic mainstream media of the U.S., The Colonial Present undoubtedly comes as a harsh reality shock. Gregory slices right through the righteous façade of policy makers who claim to go to war in the Middle East for the sake of freedom and democracy. More importantly, he exposes the unjust policies of colonialism that have generated in the past - and continue to generate today - Islamic anger toward the U.S. Understanding Gregory is essential to extinguishing the `war on terror' at its roots and establishing peaceful relations with the Middle East. For this reason The Colonial Present is "a `must read' for all those concerned for peace and justice in our time" (David Harvey on the cover of The Colonial Present).

Gregory does a great job of connecting geographical concepts to recent conflicts in the Middle East, and while it is academically geared, The Colonial Present is very accessible for the average reader. While I don't necessarily agree with his argument on Israel, he is very convincing. A must read for anyone interested in the Middle East or geography; really every American should read this.