Click on the title above for an interesting article on the recent history of Islam in the Middle East. The author is Bernard Lewis, Cleveland E. Dodge Professor Emeritus of Near Eastern Studies at Princeton.

Somehow, given the anti-Semitism regularly expressed in the Middle East, I should have figured that the Nazis were involved. To what extent their presence might have influenced common perceptions, I don't know, but I'd be curious to find out if it was a contributing factor in current Middle Eastern views.

Some of the most interesting (and encouraging) highlights of the article to me: Islam in the Middle East has not always been the virulent version we're at war with today (which I think I had some idea of, but it's nice to get an explanation), and pro-American sentiment runs in greater numbers in Iran than we think.

Frankly, I've come to agree with Newt Gingrich: we're in the midst of World War III.