Bassam Tibi was born in Damascus and is currently Professor of International Relations at the University of Gottingen, Germany. He is the author of several books in English, including "Islam between Culture and Politics" (2001), "Arab Nationalism" (third edition, 1996), "Conflict and War in the Middle East, 1967-1981" (new edition, 1997), and "The Crisis of Modern Islam" (1988).