Hoffman (Cato Institute) offers policymakers a workable model of how Islam serves the political interests of three Gulf regimes rather than guiding their rule through religious doctrine. Considering a broad range of scholarship on political Islam neglected in this study, it is not certain Hoffman's work is unique. Still, it is worth consulting the development of a thesis that challenges some assumptions about Islamic theology informing the region's decision-makers. Foreign policy in particular proves vulnerable to secular political currents, well beyond the means of state-appointed religious scholars to either grasp or influence. It is the religious platform servicing political objectives that shapes political Islam. While a fair conclusion, the book continues another myth. The three regimes under study—Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates—remain autonomous from the larger world, seeking unique and independent political objectives. "Regime preservation" and these regimes' "projection of power" require the manipulation of religion (and culture more generally, as well as history), as clearly stated throughout. What remains missing, however, is the role of old imperialist interests like Britain and the US, neatly marginalized in this lucidly written study. Summing Up: Optional. Advanced undergraduates through faculty; professionals