The Middle East is a mix of ethnic groups, cultures, and religions that can hardly be represented as a unified world of Islam. There is not one monolithic Islamic civilization, but rather a multitude. The mentality that groups all the different cultures of the Middle East under one umbrella and then uses it as the basis of foreign policy is both misleading and dangerous. During its long history, the Middle East has evolved its many identities both together and separately. Esmail Nooriala analyzes and critiques U.S. policy that postulates that after the end of Cold War and its ideological clash, that now is the time for the "Clash of Civilizations".

Esmail Nooriala
Nooriala is a Persian poet based in Denver, Colorado. He started the Association of Iranian Writers. He has edited several literary magazines inside and outside of Iran. During his years of exile, he has published a major work of modern Persian poetry called Theory of Poetry and has written extensively on Persian literature and culture.