Bernard Lewis is the guru of Middle East studies in America. His book, From Babel to Dragomans, is a summary of his writings over the past five decades. By examining Mr. Lewis past writing, we are treated to a history of the Middle East as it has happened as well as materials that gives us further understanding of this volatile area.
Many Americans are ignorant of Middle East history and this has served our enemies. How many times have we heard about the Crusade and its impact on the Arab’s psyche? Lewis response is “It has become fashionable to present the Crusades as an early example of aggressive, predatory Western imperialism against the Muslim East. How did the previously Christian East become Muslim If we go back a few centuries we might notice that the Crusade was preceded by the Jihad- that is a similar invasion moving in the opposite direction.” Lewis observed that we could “describe the Crusade as a long delayed limited response to the Muslim jihad.”
For nearly a thousand year, Christians and Muslim forces were engaged in a struggle of domination of the Western world. It wasn’t until 1492 that Spain and Portugal finally remove the Moors from their homeland and the Ottoman Empire maintained controlled portion of Central Europe until the early 20th century. The Turks found themselves at the gate of Vienna in the mid 17th century and it wasn’t until 1683, did the Turks begin a retrenchment of their European Empire. The bottom line was that the Crusades were just one aspect of a thousand year struggle but in the end, the Ottoman Empire had to seek alliances with the West to maintain its Empire.
After the first Gulf War, Lewis made two observations. The first was that “only serious restraint on American power is American public opinion” and the second was that it may be some time before American and European Middle East specialists fully realize that it is no longer necessary for them to ingratiate themselves with whatever tyrants happen to rule in Middle Eastern countries.”
He writes of the appeal of Osama Bin Laden after 9/11. Before 9/11, he notes that for many Arab states to offend Bin Laden would bring dire consequences whereas there would not be any penalty for offending the United States. Bin Laden thesis was that if the Soviet Empire could be defeated in Afghanistan, then defeating the United States would be easier. 9/11 happened because of perceive weakness of the United States.
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