SIS Book Launch: Akbar Ahmed, America at the Crossroads

About the Book:

What does it mean to be American today-when identity, fear, and leadership collide?

In this urgent and illuminating follow-up to his acclaimed Journey into America, renowned scholar, diplomat, and author Akbar Ahmed returns to a defining question: Who are we now, and where are we going?

America at the Crossroads: Islam, Race, Islam, and Leadership explores how the United States, facing multiple crises-rising Islamophobia, racial reckoning, global instability, and political polarization-continues to wrestle with its identity. Drawing on decades of research and public service, Ahmed introduces a powerful model for understanding the American experience through three core identities: primordial, pluralist, and predator. These identities, rooted in history yet urgently relevant today, are reflected in the words and actions of leaders from Jefferson and Reagan to Obama, Biden, and Trump.

At the heart of the book is the evolving relationship between the U.S. and its Muslim citizens. Ahmed examines how American Muslims have faced both marginalization and growing political inclusion, from the post-9/11 rise in Islamophobia and surveillance to historic milestones such as the election of Muslim judges and legislators. Through this lens, America at the Crossroads sheds light on broader questions of belonging, leadership, and national values.

With characteristic empathy and intellectual rigor, Ahmed weaves together history, ethnography, and personal narrative to provide a sweeping meditation on race, religion, and the soul of the nation. As America grapples with competing visions of itself, this book offers a timely framework for dialogue, understanding, and a more inclusive future.

Find more information here.

About the Author:

Akbar Ahmed is the Ibn Khaldun Chair of Islamic Studies and a Distinguished Professor in the School of International Service at American University, and a Global Fellow of the Wilson Center. Ahmed’s career has included distinguished posts in both academia and public service. Highlights from the past four decades of Ahmed’s academic career include appointments such as: Nonresident Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institution; the First Distinguished Chair of Middle East and Islamic Studies at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, MD; the Iqbal Fellow (Chair of Pakistan Studies) and Fellow of Selwyn College at the University of Cambridge; and teaching positions at Harvard and Princeton Universities. Ahmed dedicated more than three decades to the Civil Service of Pakistan, the senior-most cadre of the Central Superior Services of Pakistan, where his posts included Commissioner in Balochistan, Political Agent in the Tribal Areas, including Waziristan, and Pakistan High Commissioner to the UK and Ireland. Ahmed’s critically acclaimed projects include academic books, documentaries, plays, poetry, a feature film, and a comic book. Ahmed’s most recent books are America at the Crossroads: Race, Islam, and Leadership (2025) and The Flying Man: The Golden Age of Islam and Its Contribution to Science and Philosophy (2024).

About the Panelists:

Dr. Mehdi Heravi is a member of the Board of Trustees at American University and a graduate of AU with a PhD from the School of International Service. He is a retired political science professor and author of more than five books on political science and international relations. He previously taught at and was provost of the National University of Tehran in Iran, returning to the US after the collapse of the Iranian monarchy in 1979. Prior to his time in Iran, he was a professor at the Tennessee Technological University. Dr. Heravi is actively involved in charity work, including an orphanage in Iran and with causes related to cerebral palsy.

Doug Holladay is a co-founder and general partner of two private equity firms. He was a senior officer with the international investment banking firm Goldman Sachs, and has held senior positions in both the White House and Department of State. While he continues as an active investor and board member, the focus of his time is devoted to PathNorth, a non-profit which helps CEOs and business owners to ‘broaden their definitions of successes to include purposeful living. He is the author of “Rethinking Success: Eight Essential Practices for Finding Meaning in Work and Life."

Tehmina Khan was born in Srinagar, Kashmir and raised in Lahore, Pakistan. Tehmina attended Queen Mary’s College and graduated from Kinnaird College, and then completed her master's degree at the University of Peshawar, where Dr. Akbar Ahmed was her Assistant Professor. A natural born leader and entrepreneur, Tehmina was the first to organize large scale fashion shows in major cities in Pakistan. Her success led to international trade delegations representing Haute Couture and her clientele ranged from Heads of State to notable visiting dignitaries. In 1984, Tehmina expanded her business and added fine luxury furniture and interior design, and opened McLean Furniture Gallery, which was the only store offering traditional, contemporary and Italian furniture all under one roof. Always civically active, Tehmina has advocated for and supported causes such as interfaith dialogue post-9/11 and education for girls and women in Pakistan, and currently serves on the Board of WIPAC. She received the ASEAN Excellence Award by the D.C. Chamber of Commerce and the Embassy of Malaysia, as well as the Burj Khalifa Award for Woman Entrepreneur of the Year in 2016.  

Frankie Martin is a doctoral student in the Department of Anthropology at American University. He was a senior researcher for Akbar Ahmed’s quartet of Brookings Institution Press studies on Western-Islamic relations, including The Thistle and the Drone.

Host or Publisher School of International Service