The underlying problem for the West is not Islamic fundamentalism. It is Islam, a different civilization whose people are convinced of the superiority of their culture and are obsessed with the inferiority of their power.

The problem for Islam is not the CIA or the US Department of Defense. It is the West, a different civilization whose people are convinced of the universality of their culture and believe that their superior, if declining, power imposes on them that obligation to extend that culture throughout the world.

Samuel P. Huntington
The Clash of Civilizations and the Remaking of World Order
[Most people probably would find this book a bit dry but I find it, for the most part, fascinating. I’ve been listening to it (as an Audio Book) on my iPod as I travel back and forth to the Seattle area.–Joe]