A Necessary Engagement: Reinventing America’s Relations with the Muslim World

Nakhleh, former director of the CIA’s Political Islam Strategic Analysis Program, draws on nearly three decades of experience, current research and extensive polling to argue that the majority of Muslims strongly oppose terrorism and want good governance and a functional relationship with the U.S. But, he writes, “The policies of the past six years have put the [U.S.] on a collision course with the Islamic world, and have undermined American credibility and stature worldwide.” He offers several recommendations for engaging Muslim communities, starting with “enhancing government expertise in political Islam” and including “promoting multilateralism, a resolution of regional conflicts... intellectual exchanges... dialogue with adversaries and an end to wars of choice.” Nakhleh defends the CIA from accusations that it failed to sound the pre-9/11 alarm (“the claim made by some neo-cons... is patently false”) and strengthens the case that more often than not, politics trumped intelligence in the Bush administration. Indeed, the greatest irony may be that today, a majority of Muslims view the U.S. “as a threat to world peace.” Incoming policymakers might want to take note. (Feb.)