Children of Abraham at War : The Clash of Messianic Militarisms

Description

With religion-driven fanaticism on the rise in many parts of the world, Talmiz Ahmad’s book tracing the roots of “messianic militarisms” and their impact on contemporary politics is well timed. The book is meticulously researched and even-handed in its critique of the three religious tendencies involved in the clash of messianic militarisms. Ahmad, besides being a seasoned diplomat, is also a scholar on Islam and West Asia…The book will be a valuable addition to university libraries and is a must-read for students of international politics. John Cherian,Frontline

As I finished reading the book, I thought of two other books — Francis Fukuyama’sThe End of Historyand Samuel Huntington’sThe Clash of Civilizations. All three authors look for the big picture…Both Fukuyama and Huntington assume, without providing much corroborating evidence, the essential, inherent superiority of Western civilisation over others. Ambassador Talmiz Ahmad is refreshingly free from such an ego-centric predicament…In addition to being an industrious scholar, the author has spent most of his 35-year career in West Asia…Ahmad’s historical narration of the genesis of the three militant Messianisms is of enduring value.
K.P. Fabian,Business Standard

Ahmad’s warning that the GWOT subsumes “the clash of messianic militarisms,” whose potential for conflict is unfathomable, has to be taken seriously because it is born out of painstaking research and an incisive analysis, and is informed by compelling logic. Lucidly written, and with an eye for detail, the book is a must read for students of comparative religions and international politics, and, more importantly, for the global citizenry, which needs to do all it can to avert the catastrophe an unchecked messianism would spell for the world. Atul Aneja,The Hindu

The narrative of the book manages to hold the attention of the reader to the last age…The sheer size of the data and information collected in this book makes it a must-have for those who are not only interested in the Middle East but also for those who would like to delve deeper into the causes of conflicts that abound.
Gargee Chakravarty,Saudi Gazette

This book is a reassertion that the thinking Ambassador is not quite extinct.

-Saeed Naqvi,Outlook