"[2] Writing in the Washington Post, Rabil affirms, "Jihad is an ominous word to most Americans, conjuring up images of terrorism.

"[3] Rabil believes that radical Sunni ideologues, such as Mawdudi, Qutb and Faraj, advanced ideas that distorted the concept of jihad.

Carsten Wieland, in reviewing Rabil's work Syria, the United States and the War on Terror in the Middle East, wrote that "as the author points out, US-Syrian relations have experienced many ups and downs.

Terrorism drove the countries apart and at the same time brought them together: Syria helped the US to broker several deals to free US hostages from Lebanese Shi'a and Palestinian terrorists in the 1980s and early 1990s….

He speaks of a "dying regime" in Damascus but also warns against a "miscalculated or hubris-laden" campaign against Syria, which could lead to anarchy in the country and promote a new fertile ground for terrorism.

Rabil has written a dispassionate and scrupulously researched account of the Middle Eastern dynamics that lie at the center of today's most urgent challenges.

Unlike other books that have been written about Syria and US foreign policy, this work stands out in its in-depth treatment of ideological and socio-political conditions in the region.

To his credit, Rabil does not view the Levant simply through the lens of US policy; consequently, the title of the book is narrower than the author's actual perspective.

To be sure, Russia has played a vital role in Syria by not only making Moscow's participation in any negotiated settlement indispensable but also leading the way in trying to broker and set up ceasefire agreements and de-escalating conflict zones, respectively.

This has served to place Muslim (Salafi) identity above all others and indirectly promoted the agenda of Salafi-jihadi organizations, be they Al Qaeda, ISIS or Ansar al-Shari'a.

"[8] Rabil embraces a realist/pragmatist approach to US foreign policy resting on securing national interests by reconciling the celebration of America's universal values and exceptional nature with the recognition of the reality of other countries' histories, cultures, and politics.