First hour:
Lawrence Davidson argues that
Mitt Romney is a contemporary avatar of the "know-nothings," 19th century Americans whose hallmarks were ignorance, prejudice, and fear of what they didn't understand (which was just about everything). We'll also discuss Professor Davidson's book
Islamic Fundamentalism, which overall presents a reasonably balanced portrayal of some Islamist movements. Are some of the most "radical" wahhabi and takfiri groups really just a bunch of Muslim know-nothings endlessly manipulated by the Empire? Are there Islamic political activists out there who actually offer a sophisticated critique of
Western "civilization", and some viable solutions?