Ajami on Huntington
Fouad Ajami is one of those rare scholar/commentators about whom one can confidently say “read everything he writes.” He was my professor at SAIS one memorable semester. I had only marginal interest in the subject (the Middle East), but followed the prevailing wisdom that one must take his class just for the theater. He is even more colorful and interesting in person than his writing, which sparkles. Here he apologizes for not seeing Sam Huntington’s wisdom in the “Clash of Civilizations.” Huntington’s critique of the West, particularly of American elites, ends up being his most trenchant observation—one we should keep close at hand as we observe, analyze and influence US foreign policy.