The War of Two Worlds: 2,500 Years of Rivalry Between East and West

Since the "9·11" incident, Western countries have published a large number of works that analyze the root causes of terrorism from historical, political, religious, cultural and other perspectives. This book synthesizes all these perspectives and puts forward its own point of view, believing that all this must start from the separation of reality and ideology between the West and the East 2,500 years ago. This book won the American Institute for Near East Policy Book Award in 2008 for its astonishing time span, detailed historical and ideological analysis, and realistic concern for current issues. The book begins with the Persian king Xerxes's attempt to conquer Greece, which opens the prelude to a conflict that has not ceased to this day. First Alexander the Great, then the Romans, attempted to merge Europe and Asia into a single civilization. As the West converted to Christianity and parts of the East embraced Islam, a hate-filled war erupted between the two religions, with each claiming dominion over the world. By the 17th century, after the decline of the Christian church, the struggle shifted from religion to philosophy: those who adhered to Western scientific rationality were in sharp contrast to those who sought the ultimate teachings of God. In the 18th and 19th centuries, several major Islamic empires—the Ottoman Empire, the Mughal Empire, and the Safavid Dynasty—gradually collapsed, and the West gradually controlled most of Asia. The result was an attempt to reconcile Islamic life with modern life in the West, which sparked conflicts between reformers and traditionalists in the Islamic world that continue to this day. In human history, the wars between the West and the East are not only the longest and most costly wars, they have been and will continue to shape the modern world.