Noah Feldman Book order (chronological)

The Arab Spring aimed to end dictatorship and promote self-governance across the Middle East, but outside Tunisia, it often resulted in renewed dictatorship, civil war, or extremist terror. Noah Feldman argues that this period was not a complete failure; rather, it was a significant, albeit tragic, moment where Arabic-speaking peoples engaged in collective political action for self-determination. By examining the Egyptian revolution, the Syrian civil war, the rise and fall of ISIS, and Tunisia's quest for Islamic constitutionalism, Feldman offers a unique perspective on the political aftermath of the Arab Spring. He highlights the reaffirmation of pan-Arab identity, the decline of Arab nationalisms, and the collapse of political Islam with ISIS's defeat. Feldman counters the narrative that the Arab Spring was non-transformative and that Arabs are less capable of democracy. He emphasizes that the tragic outcomes should not overshadow the human significance of the Arab Spring. It marked a moment when people sought to reclaim their political agency, and while it did not lead to constitutional democracy or improved lives for many, the efforts made are historically and futuristically significant.

A brilliant and urgent appraisal of one of the most profound conflicts of our timeEven before George W. Bush gained reelection by wooing religiously devout "values voters," it was clear that church-state matters in the United States had reached a crisis. With Divided by God , Noah Feldman shows that the crisis is as old as this country--and looks to our nation's past to show how it might be resolved.Today more than ever, ours is a religiously diverse Muslim, Hindu, and Buddhist as well as Catholic, Protestant, and Jewish. And yet more than ever, committed Christians are making themselves felt in politics and culture.What are the implications of this paradox? To answer this question, Feldman makes clear that again and again in our nation's history diversity has forced us to redraw the lines in the church-state divide. In vivid, dramatic chapters, he describes how we as a people have resolved conflicts over the Bible, the Pledge of Allegiance, and the teaching of evolution through appeals to shared values of liberty, equality, and freedom of conscience. And he proposes a brilliant solution to our current crisis, one that honors our religious diversity while respecting the long-held conviction that religion and state should not mix.Divided by God speaks to the headlines, even as it tells the story of a long-running conflict that has made the American people who we are.