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For many centuries, the world of Islam was in the forefront of human achievement--the foremost military and economic power in the world, the leader in the arts and sciences of civilization. Christian Europe, a remote land beyond its northwestern frontier, was seen as an outer darkness of barbarism and unbelief from which there was nothing to learn or to fear. And then everything changed, as the previously despised West won victory after victory, first in the battlefield and the marketplace, then in almost every aspect of public and even private life.In this intriguing volume, Bernard Lewis examines the anguished reaction of the Islamic world as it tried to understand why things had changed--how they had been overtaken, overshadowed, and to an increasing extent dominated by the West. Lewis provides a fascinating portrait of a culture in turmoil. He shows how the Middle East turned its attention to understanding European weaponry and military tactics, commerce and industry, government and diplomacy, education and culture. Lewis highlights the striking differences between the Western and Middle Eastern cultures from the 18th to the 20th centuries through thought-provoking comparisons of such things as Christianity and Islam, music and the arts, the position of women, secularism and the civil society, the clock and the calendar. Hailed in The New York Times Book Review as the doyen of Middle Eastern studies, Bernard Lewis is one of the West's foremost authorities on Islamic history and culture. In this striking volume, he offers an incisive look at the historical relationship between the Middle East and Europe.

What Went Wrong?: Western Impact and Middle Eastern Response by Bernard Lewis is a seminal work exploring the complex relationship between the West and the Middle East over the past two centuries. Lewis argues that the West's attempts to impose its values and institutions on the Middle East have led to a clash of civilizations, resulting in instability, conflict, and mutual misunderstanding.

Lewis begins by examining the history of Western imperialism in the Middle East, tracing its roots back to the Crusades and the European colonization of the region in the 19th and 20th centuries. He argues that Western powers have consistently sought to dominate the Middle East for economic, strategic, and religious reasons, often with disastrous consequences for the region.

Lewis then turns his attention to the Middle Eastern response to Western imperialism. He argues that the region's traditional elites, such as the Ottoman Empire and the Arab monarchies, were unable to effectively resist Western encroachment, leading to their eventual collapse. In the aftermath of colonialism, the Middle East was left fragmented and vulnerable, creating fertile ground for the rise of radical ideologies, such as pan-Arabism and Islamism.

Lewis concludes by arguing that the West and the Middle East need to find a new way to coexist. He calls for a dialogue between the two civilizations, based on mutual respect and understanding. He also emphasizes the need for the West to be more sensitive to the concerns and aspirations of the Middle East, and to avoid imposing its own values and institutions on the region.

What Went Wrong? is a thought-provoking and controversial book that has sparked a great deal of debate among scholars and policymakers. It is a must-read for anyone interested in understanding the complex relationship between the West and the Middle East.