Engaging the Muslim World

Juan Cole, internationally respected historian and blogger, is a professor of history at the University of Michigan. His blog, Informed Comment, receives 250,000 unique hits every month. He is author of numerous books. His latest is just out, called Engaging the Muslim World.

Cole was interviewed on Democracy Now [well worth following by the way!] in a Q & A with presenter Amy Goodman. One example:

"Afghanistan is an almost insoluble problem. And the question is, what’s the mission? You know, if you’re sending US troops there to fight, to die, we have to know what is exactly their mission. And it’s not to fight al-Qaeda. Have you seen anything for the last five years in the newspapers about US troops capturing major al-Qaeda figures in Afghanistan, even fighting al-Qaeda units? I don’t see any evidence that they’re there. So what we’re fighting is Pushtuns, the neo-Taliban, which is probably— "

Read the complete stimulating and informed exchange with Cole here.

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