The Assault on Middle Eastern Studies

I must commend this American Conservative article on the right-wing assault on Middle Eastern Studies in universities. As the author correctly observes: "While academia is doubtless more left-leaning than many other professional environments, it is by no means the extremist left-wing monolith that the neocons claim. In reality, some institutions tend to be critical of U.S. policy and others not; some tend to support Arab positions, while others express sympathy for Israel. Some engage in 'leftist' post-colonial studies, others in quantitative survey work, and other still in 'rightist' political-culture studies. There is great diversity of perspectives, and the debate between them enriches academic inquiry and improves the general knowledge base. This is what has made the U.S. home to many of the finest academic institutions in the world."