Violent Politics: A History of Insurgency, Terrorism, and Guerrilla War, from the American Revolution to Iraq
William R. Polk taught Middle Eastern history and politics and Arabic at Harvard until 1961, when he became a member of the Policy Planning Council of the U.S. Department of State. In 1965, he became Professor of History at the University of Chicago, where he established the Center for Middle Eastern Studies. His many books includeThe Birth of AmericaandUnderstanding Iraq.