Trial of a Thousand Years: World Order and Islamism (Hoover Institution Press Publication) (Volume 607)

A Muslim has no nationality except his religious beliefs,” said Egyptian Sayyid Qutb, a key figure in the world of political Islam who was executed by the secular regime in his homeland in 1966. For decades, the ideologues of pan-Islam have refused to accept the boundaries and the responsibilities of the order of states. In Trial of a Thousand Years, Charles Hill analyzes the long war of Islamism against the international state system. Hill places the Islamists in their proper historical place, showing that they are but the latest challenge to the requirements that states had placed on themselves since the international system was born in 1648. The author describes the many wars on world order over the modern centuries—the French Revolution and Napoleonic Wars, World Wars I and II, the cold war—and gives a unique historical perspective to the Islamic challenge of the twenty-first century in Iran, Afghanistan, and beyond. He concludes that America must not give up its values; neither should we retreat by declaring that we will practice them only at home or by telling ourselves that our values are no more worthy than any others selected at random from among the world’s many cultures. The first step, he says, is to recognize the problem and then try to develop ways to deal with the exploitation of asymmetries by the enemies of world order. Front Cover 1 Title Page 4 Copyright 5 Acknowledgements 7 Contents 8 Foreword by Fouad Ajami 10 Prologue 20 On a Ship to Oman 20 On the Train to the Army-Navy Game 23 CHAPTER ONE: Two World Orders 26 Christendom and Caliphate 28 Duality or Unity? 30 “The Turk” and “Oriental Despotism” 34 Three World-Historical Events 42 CHAPTER TWO: The Modern Ordering Takes Shape 46 1648 47 The Enlightenment Views the Prophet 49 The Sick Man of Europe 55 CHAPTER THREE: The Wars on World Order 66 The French Revolution and Napoleonic Wars 66 The Taiping Rebellion, 1851–1866 69 The American Civil War and the Utah War 72 The Franco-Prussian War, 1870–1871 76 The Great War 80 World War II: Imperial Japan and the Third Reich 86 The Cold War 93 The Indian Mutiny and the International System 100 CHAPTER FOUR: An Islamic Challenge Takes Shape 106 1979: Iran 106 1979: Saudi Arabia 108 1979: Pakistan 109 1979: Afghanistan 110 1979: Egypt 110 1979: Saddam’s Iraq—Bonfire of the Pathologies 111 The Lost Decade of the 1990s 116 The Islamist War on World Order, Well Underway 120 Saddam Overthrown 123 Saddam’s Strategy 126 CHAPTER FIVE: The Shock of Recognition 132 Centers of Gravity 138 Legal 140 Military 140 The State 143 Women 148 Democracy 151 Nuclear Weapons 155 Values 157 CHAPTER SIX: In the Matter of Grand Strategy 162 Religion in World Order Revisited 170 Epilogue: On the Road to Oxiana 179 Bibliography 182 About the Author 188 About the Hoover Institution’s Herbert and Jane Dwight Working Group on Islamism and the International Order 190 Index 192 For Decades, The Ideologues Of Pan-islam Have Refused To Accept The Boundaries And The Responsibilities Of The Order Of States. In Trial Of A Thousand Years, Charles Hill Analyzes The Long War Of Islamism Against The International State System. Hill Places The Islamists In Their Proper Historical Place, Showing That They Are But The Latest Challenge To The Requirements That States Had Placed On Themselves Since The International System Was Born In 1648. The Author Describes The Many Wars On World Order Over The Modern Centuries--the French Revolution And Napoleonic Wars, World Wars I And Ii, The Cold War--and Gives A Unique Historical Perspective To The Islamic Challenge Of The Twenty-first Century In Iran, Afghanistan, And Beyond. He Concludes That America Must Not Give Up Its Values; Neither Should We Retreat By Declaring That We Will Practice Them Only At Home Or By Telling Ourselves That Our Values Are No More Worthy Than Any Others Selected At Random From Among The World's Many Cultures. Chap. 1. Two World Orders -- Chap. 2. The Modern Ordering Takes Shape -- Chap. 3. The Wars On World Order -- Chap. 4. An Islamic Challenge Takes Shape -- Chap. 5. The Shock Of Recognition -- Chap. 6. In The Matter Of Grand Strategy. Charles Hill. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 165-170) And Index. Charles Hill analyzes the refusal of the ideologues of pan-Islam to accept the boundaries and responsibilities of the order of states. He offers a historical perspective on the war of Islamism against the nation-state system, looking at changes in world order from the Thirty Years' War of the seventeenth century to Iran's Islamic revolution in 1979 to the overthrow of Saddam Hussein in Iraq. Charles Hill analyses the refusal of the ideologues of pan-Islam to accept the boundaries and responsibilities of the order of states. He offers a historical perspective on the war of Islamism against the nation-state system, looking at changes in world order from the Thirty Years' War of the seventeenth century to Iran's Islamic revolution in 1979 to the overthrow of Saddam Hussein in Iraq.