The Rise of Islamic Capitalism ─ Why the New Muslim Middle Class is the Key to Defeating Extremism

"Nasr brilliantly narrates the tortured histories of the middle classes in Pakistan and Iran, torn between secular dictators on one side and the Ayatollah Khomeini's Islamic Republic and the Taliban on the other. Forces of Fortune is as hopeful as it is sobering, and Nasr makes a convincing case for optimism tempered with caution and patience."---The New York Times Book Review

"Nasr has written a rewarding and impressive book. He is a lively guide to a maze of issues that rarely get discussed, and he uses the fruits of his wide travels in the Middle East with great skill ... full of knowing insights and subtle personal portraits. Judging by this book, it is no mystery that Nasr has risen to such prominence in U.S. government circles as a preeminent explainer of the complex phenomena that define the modern Middle East."---Foreign Affairs

"Vali Nasr's important new book helps us understand the positive power of commerce in the Muslim world. He shows how growing economies and a new business class will be more important than extremist ideologies in determining how the Middle East interacts with the world. This is a wonderful combination of historical analysis and insightful reporting."---Walter Isaacson, CEO of The Aspen Institute and author of Kissinger: A Biography

"Relying on examples from countries ranging from Iran to Turkey, [Nasr] demonstrates that there is a commercial revolution in the Muslim world fueled by the emergence of dynamic and upwardly mobile middle-class entrepreneurs and reformers. This book should be read by all concerned citizens and policymakers in the West."---Library Journal

"Nasr offers a fresh look at the future of religious extremism in the Middle East. He posits that a rising middle class is far more interested in economic success than in fervent religiosity. Nasr's analysis...is well-argued and deserves close attention."---Publishers Weekly

"[A] humane and clear-eyed narrative..."---Harvard Business Review

Born in Iran, Vali Nasr is a professor of international relations at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy of Tufts University, an adjunct senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, and a senior fellow of The Dubai Initiative at Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government. His book The Shia Revival was a New York Times bestseller. He has contributed to The New York Times, The Washington Post, and Time and appeared on Anderson Cooper 360, The Situation Room, Fareed Zakana GPS. Today, and Charlie Rose.