Why They Don't Hate Us: Lifting the Veil on the Axis of Evil

If you're ready to be challenged regarding Middle East generalizations and so-called virtues of globalism, this book is mandatory reading.

Mark LeVine, who is a professor of Modern Middle Eastern History, Culture and Islamic Studies at the University of California, Irvine wants to champion what he calls "cultural jamming" as a means to bridge the cultural abyss between the Middle East and the West. I think this idea has a certain appeal since cultural jamming is the practice of satirizing the power structure. It can be a force for understanding between the Middle East and the West, but primarily it is a force against established power, whether eastern or western. It is a natural product of the young, who do not yet have much power, but who will indeed have power in the future. So I am in sympathy with LeVine's enthusiasm; however as young people become older and take on the responsibilities of their societies and weld the power, will they not become the satirized? One of the points Levine makes early in this ambitious book is that the narrow-minded, fundamentalist culture of e.g., Kansas, is similar to the narrow-minded, fundamentalist culture of the jihadis. In a broad sense the fundamentalist Christians of America and the fundamentalist Muslims of the Middle East are just opposite sides of the same intolerant, ignorant coin. They both believe that they have the one real God on their side, and regard people who believe differently as going to straight to hell. Consequently, LeVine's conclusion that "they" don't hate "us" because there really is no monolithic "they" or "us" is technically correct. Generalizations that pigeonhole people are always wrong except as handy ways to talk. The so-called "culture" of the West with its McFoods, its NASCAR races, its mindless TV, its "football," its Hollywood movies and its gross commercialization is really just the commercial culture of America. The real culture of America is much more complex and includes a plethora of subcultures from blue blooded New Englanders living on inherited wealth to Spanish-speaking illegal aliens who work in our fields and kitchens. It includes Harvard graduates and burger-flippers; blue states and red; people who believe in democracy and the separation of church and state, and evangelicals who are waiting anxiously for the Rapture. It includes the legacy of Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin, Mark Twain and Al Capone, John F. Kennedy and Ronald Reagan, atheists and true believers, Nobel Prize winners and Paris Hilton. It includes millions of Muslims as well as Christians of every stripe, Buddhists and Hindus, Midwesterners, Southerners, Californians and people who have never left North Dakota. American culture, as crass as it often is, is not the villain. The use of military power exclusively for perceived American interests, and the economic exploitation of less developed nations is what is causing a lot of pain in the world today, and is what justifiably could cause others to hate us. Invading Iraq and causing the death of tens of thousands of Iraqis and the suffering of millions more, is

Globalization is a very popular topic these days and innumerable publications have appeared which either celebrate it as nothing short of a revolution which produces wealth and brings people closer together or, at the other end of the spectrum, demonize it as a destructive monster which burns everything in its path. Levine takes on this controversial topic in a book which consists of three parts. The first is mainly devoted to setting up the stage for the rest of book and to placing it into the current often ideological discourse about globalization. In the second part the author analyzes the deep historical roots of globalization, especially its relations to what he calls the modernity matrix (modernity, imperialism/colonialism, capitalism and nationalism), which puts the phenomenon in perspective within the broader historical theater. LeVine chooses a holistic approach which does not reduce globalization to a mere economic phenomenon, but, rather, illuminates its cultural and political as well as its economic components. It shows, based on official data by organizations like the IMF and the World Bank, that even the self-proclaimed successes of globalizations actually benefit both a minority of countries and minorities within those countries themselves. The author's ability to connect the dots between long time historical processes and their daily life micro-manifestations, especially in Middle Eastern and North African countries confers the book a 'humanity' which does usually not characterize academic analyses. A humanity which is also at the core of LeVine's courageous approach to the topic and its many implications. The third and last part of the book is devoted to the global peace and justice movement and culminates in a manifesto of its goals and strategies (according to the author) for a successful future. The author's point of view and perspective is never concealed throughout the book and, even though the author certainly takes a side, its historical analysis remains sober and matter-of-factual. The book is written in a fluid and pleasant style and is a must read for both supporters and opponents of globalization alike.

This book gives a very different view from the one we get in a lot of the media - and everyone should read it, especially journalists! In a very gripping way, Mark Levine takes readers on a personal guided tour of the Arab world and into the Muslim mindset, and challenges the view that all Muslims are anti-American. Or that there is a single "Muslim" view of the world. A real eye-opener, and a very good read.

This book is extremely interesting. I was able to learn so many things that I had never known before. It is extremely important for people to learn about the cultures of others before we judge. I am very happy I bought this book and would suggest you read it as well. I'm hopeful the author writes more books because he has great insight and the courage to speak his mind.