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The New York Times > Books > Books of The Times | 'Resurrecting Empire': Those Who Ignore History Are Doomed to Hear About It

Rashid Khalidi is an angry man. He is angry at the Bush administration for ignoring experts on the history and politics of the Middle East. He is angry at the neoconservatives who filled the gap with their ignorance and "blind zealotry." He is angry at the decision to invade Iraq, and the grave consequences that resulted.

I met Rashid Khalidi briefly while I was a student at the University of Chicago. When I emerge from my current absorption in Norse sagas and Celtic mythology and turn my attention to the Arab World again, I intend to pick up a copy of his book.