Popular “desert romance” novels reveal some of the cultural logic in the construction of U.S. imperialism and the war on terror. Kristian Petersen speaks with Amira Jarmakani is an Associate Professor and Director of the Institute for Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies and Affiliated Faculty of the Middle East Institute at Georgia State University. She is the author of An Imperialist Love Story: Desert Romances and the War on Terror.