The author explains how the current stalemate in Afghanistan has arisen by describing the gradual morphing of a war against terrorism into the establishment of an Afghan state constructed on western lines.

The author discusses the difference between perception and reality in the context of the history of relations between the littoral peoples of the Mediterranean. The sources of misunderstanding are examined, particularly the perception of oppression by states or religions over the centuries, and he recommends a meeting of minds to write a history of the area that could be used for teaching, regardless of religion, to help in the elimination of phobia and hate.

Islam instituted a continuity, not a breach, with the other monotheistic religions. So ‘Islamism’ cannot justify its war against Jews and Christians, who are also ‘people of the scripture’, on the basis of the Koran. Islam and the majority of Muslims are therefore against Islamism; this is a crisis, not a clash, of civilisations.