Azzedine Layachi, PhD. is Professor of Government and Politics at St. John’s University. His research interests include economic development, political change, political Islam, Middle East politics, African politics, and politics of ethnicity. He is the author of several books, journal articles and book chapters. His books include The United States and North Africa: A Cognitive Approach to Foreign Policy; Economic Crisis and Political Change in North Africa; State, Society and Liberalization in Morocco: The Limits of Associative Life; and Global Studies: The Middle East.