America's dream palace : Middle East expertise and the rise of the national security state

In T. E. Lawrences classic memoir Seven Pillars of Wisdom , Lawrence of Arabia claimed that he inspired a dream palace of Arab nationalism. What he really inspired, however, was an American idea of the area now called the Middle East that has shaped U.S. interventions over the course of a century, with sometimes tragic consequences. Americas Dream Palace brings into sharp focus the ways U.S. foreign policy has shaped the emergence of expertise concerning this crucial, often turbulent, and misunderstood part of the world. Americas growing stature as a global power created a need for expert knowledge about different regions. When it came to the Middle East, the U.S. government was initially content to rely on Christian missionaries and Orientalist scholars. After World War II, however, as Washingtons national security establishment required professional expertise in Middle Eastern affairs, it began to cultivate a mutually beneficial relationship with academic institutions. Newly created programs at Harvard, Princeton, and other universities became integral to Washingtons policymaking in the region. The National Defense Education Act of 1958, which aligned Americas educational goals with Cold War security concerns, proved a boon for Middle Eastern studies. But charges of anti-Americanism within the academy soon strained this cozy relationship. Federal funding for area studies declined, while independent think tanks with ties to the government flourished. By the time the Bush administration declared its Global War on Terror, Osamah Khalil writes, think tanks that actively pursued agendas aligned with neoconservative goals were the drivers of Americas foreign policy. America's Dream Palace Examines The Relationship Between U.s. Foreign Policy And The Origins And Expansion Of Middle East Studies And Expertise From World War I To The Global War On Terror. It Analyzes The Transition From The Private Knowledge Of American Missionaries And Orientalist Scholars Adapted For Government Use In The First And Second World Wars To The Privatized Knowledge Of Think Tanks With Close Ties To The U.s. National Security Establishment In The Late And Post-cold War Periods. The Book Draws On Extensive Research At National, University, And Foundation Archives In The United States, The United Kingdom, Lebanon, And Egypt. It Demonstrates That The National Defense Education Act (ndea) Of 1958 Ultimately Led To The Growth And Diversification Of Middle East Studies. An Unintended Consequence Of This Expansion Was Strained Relations Between Academia And The Government, Which Contributed To, And Was Compounded By, Decreased Federal Funding For Area Studies. By The 1980s, These Factors Led To A Perceived Decline In The Field, While Think Tanks Garnered Increased Attention And Influence. The Author Contrasts The Post-september 11 Expansion Of The National Security Bureaucracy And The Predominance Of Think Tanks With Attempts To Marginalize University-based Middle East Studies Centers And Scholars.-- Introduction: The Crossroads Of Empire -- Private Knowledge: American Missionaries, The Inquiry, And The First World War In The Middle East, 1917-1922 -- Wartime Expertise: The Office Of Strategic Services, The Army Specialized Training Program, And World War Ii In The Middle East, 1940-1945 -- A Time Of National Emergency: The National Security Establishment, Academic Institutions, And The Origins Of Middle East Studies, 1947-1957 -- America's Sheet Anchors: Creating Cold War Universities In The Middle East, 1922-1962 -- (in)visible Government: The National Defense Education Act And The Establishment Of Middle East Studies, 1950-1967 -- Modernizing The Middle East: Constructing Traditional Society And Expertise, 1950-1973 -- Privatizing Knowledge: Think Tanks, Middle East Expertise, And The Decline Of Area Studies, 1973-1988 -- Empire And Its Limitations: Neoconservatism, The Bush Doctrine, And The Global War On Terror, 1989-2009 -- Epilogue: America And The Arab Spring. Osamah F. Khalil. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. America's Dream Palace examines the relationship between U.S. foreign policy and the origins and expansion of Middle East studies and expertise from World War I to the Global War on Terror. It analyzes the transition from the private knowledge of American missionaries and Orientalist scholars adapted for government use in the First and Second World Wars to the privatized knowledge of think tanks with close ties to the U.S. national security establishment in the late and post-Cold War periods. The book draws on extensive research at national, university, and foundation archives in the United States, the United Kingdom, Lebanon, and Egypt. It demonstrates that the National Defense Education Act (NDEA) of 1958 ultimately led to the growth and diversification of Middle East studies. An unintended consequence of this expansion was strained relations between academia and the government, which contributed to, and was compounded by, decreased federal funding for area studies. By the 1980s, these factors led to a perceived decline in the field, while think tanks garnered increased attention and influence. The author contrasts the post-September 11 expansion of the national security bureaucracy and the predominance of think tanks with attempts to marginalize university-based Middle East studies centers and scholars.--Résumé de l'éditeur

As the postwar U.S. national security establishment required Middle Eastern expertise, it cultivated a beneficial relationship with universities. But by the time the Bush administration declared its Global War on Terror, Osamah Khalil shows, think tank agendas aligned with neoconservative goals were the drivers of America's foreign policy.