ABSTRACT
Far from a function of its unhappy interaction with the West, the story of Islam has been the story of the rise and falls of an often-astonishing imperial aggressiveness and, no less important, of never-quiescent imperialist dreams that have survived the fall of the Ottoman Empire to haunt Islamic and Middle Eastern politics into the twenty-first century. Having long downplayed his Muslim roots, Barack Obama embraced them after taking office in an attempt to underscore his intimate familiarity with Islam. It is true that at the end of December 2011, following Tehran's persistent rebuff of UN resolutions and the voicing of serious concerns regarding possible military dimensions to Iran's nuclear program by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Obama authorized harsh sanctions that effectively crippled Tehran's oil-exporting capabilities. It was President George W. Bush who had laid the groundwork for departure in his November 2008 status of forces agreement (SOFA) with the Iraqi government.
