Iraq, Democracy and the Future of the Muslim World

Iraq, democracy and Islam are powerful global forces which shape not only many aspects of the lives of Muslims, but the lives of other citizens of the world as well. This book explores many of the challenging questions posed by the interconnections between these three forces, concentrating on issues which have global significance and which have been less studied up until now. It contains contributions from many of the leading thinkers and academics from this subject area, including the former President of Iran, Seyyed Mohammad Khatami.Topics such as the compatibility of Islam and democracy, and the question of whether democracy can be encouraged in the Middle East are looked at carefully. Contributors evaluate the circumstances under which democracy can be imposed by outside force, and asks what forces are driving the confrontation between the West and Islam, before looking at how this confrontation is likely to develop.This book presents a comprehensive picture of dynamic change in the geopolitics of our time, and offers a timely contribution to research on Middle East Politics and Islamic Studies.

Ali Paya is Senior Visiting Research Fellow at the Centre for the Study of Democracy, School of Social Sciences, Humanities and Languages at the University of Westminster, UK, and Associate Professor of Philosophy at the National Research Institute for Science Policy in Iran. John L. Esposito is Professor of Religion and International Affairs and of Islamic Studies at Georgetown University, USA, and Founding Director of the Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding: History and International Affairs in the Walsh School of Foreign Service.