Description: In contrast to the "clash of civilizations" theory that sees Islam inevitably in conflict with the West, Crews reveals the remarkable ways in which Russia constructed an empire with broad Muslim support. As America and Western Europe debate how to secure the allegiances of their Muslim populations, Crews offers a critical historical perspective.
Brief description: Robert D. Crews is Associate Professor of History at Stanford University.
Review Quotes: [An] original and insightful book...Mr. Crews's research, much of it conducted in the newly accessible archives of provincial Russian places such as Ufa and Kazan, is of huge relevance to the present day. Although modern Russia has a secular constitution, not a theocratic one, some elements of the old relationship between the state and Russian Orthodoxy are being rebuilt.-- "The Economist" (7/13/2006 12:00:00 AM)