Edward W. Said and the «Scholar-Combatants» during the 1980s: Fouad Ajami, Daniel Pipes, and Thomas L. Friedman

The essay examines the political and intellectual debate between Edward W. Said and certain so-called «Scholar-Combatants» during the 1980s. Specifically, it analyzes the perspectives of Fouad Ajami, Daniel Pipes, and journalist Thomas L. Friedman, as well as Said’s critiques of their discourses on violence in the Muslim world from that period. Drawing on published and archival materials, this article investigates the reasons for the partial overlooking of the 1980s debate, highlights its main features, and clarifies how it elucidates nuances of (American) Orientalism.