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U.S. Relations with the Muslim World
Compiled By The National Defense University Library
On June 4, 2009, President Barack Obama delivered a speech in Cairo, Egypt aimed at launching an initiative to improve U.S. relations with the Muslim world. The address sought to enhance American credibility, promote tolerance and pluralism, and to articulate American interests on key issues of concern in the Muslim and Arab worlds. The President claimed responsibility to use his power to "fight against negative stereotypes of Islam wherever they appear," and urged Muslims to reject the "crude stereotype" of America as a "self-interested empire."
This page brings together a collection of resources examining the evolution of U.S. policy towards the Muslim world since September 2001. It features a collection of statements from the Obama Administration, along with key statements from the Bush Administration covering America's reactions in the wake of 9/11 and the launch of the Global War on Terrorism. Also included are key Congressional hearings and major reports from the Government Accountability Office, Congressional Research Service, and the State Department. Research & Analysis and Additional Resources spotlights critical articles and reports from think tanks, non-governmental organizations, and academic centers that specialize in the analysis of America's engagement with the Muslim world.
Official U.S. Government Statements
U.S. Congressional Hearings
Government Accountability Office, Congressional Research Service, and State Department Reports
Research & Analysis
Additional Resources
Official U.S. Government Statements
- [4 June 09] Remarks by the President on a New Beginning - Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt
"I've come here to Cairo to seek a new beginning between the United States and Muslims around the world, one based on mutual interest and mutual respect, and one based upon the truth that America and Islam are not exclusive and need not be in competition."
- [4 June 09] Roundtable Interview of the President with Regional Reporters
NOTE: Discussion on U.S. relations with the Muslim world can be found in the second half of the transcript
- [3 June 09] White House Press Briefing by Press Secretary Robert Gibbs, Speechwriter Ben Rhodes, and Deputy National Security Advisor for Strategic Communications Denis McDonough
NOTE: Briefing on the structure and expected message of the President's June 4, 2009 speech
- [5 May 09] Remarks at the Center for the Study of Islam and Democracy's Annual Banquet
Madelyn E. Spirnak, Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs
- [7 April 09] Remarks of President Barack Obama at Student Roundtable - Istanbul, Turkey
- [6 April 09] Remarks by President Obama to the Turkish Parliament
"I also want to be clear that America's relationship with the Muslim community, the Muslim world, cannot, and will not, just be based upon opposition to terrorism...We will listen carefully, we will bridge misunderstandings, and we will seek common ground. We will be respectful, even when we do not agree...The United States has been enriched by Muslim Americans. Many other Americans have Muslims in their families or have lived in a Muslim-majority country - - I know, because I am one of them."
- [21 Jan 09] President Barack Obama's Inaugural Address
"To the Muslim world, we seek a new way forward, based on mutual interest and mutual respect. To those leaders around the globe who seek to sow conflict, or blame their society's ills on the West, know that your people will judge you on what you can build, not what you destroy"
- [22 April 08] The U.S., Islam, and the Future of Our Communities
Sada Cumber, U.S. Special Envoy to the OIC
- [10 March 08] Reception in Honor of the Member States of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) to Introduce Sada Cumber, U.S. Special Envoy to the OIC
Condoleezza Rice, Secretary of State
- [10 March 08] Reception in Honor of the Member States of the OIC
Remarks by Sada Cumber, U.S. Special Envoy to the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC)
- [27 Feb 08] President Bush Meets with Special Envoy to the Organization of the Islamic Conference
- [5 June 05] Remarks at the American University in Cairo
Condoleezza Rice, Secretary of State
- [16 March 05] Building U.S.-Muslim Understanding and Dialog: Public Diplomacy in the Arab and Muslim Worlds
Foreign Press Center briefing by Ambassador William Rugh (ret.)
- [17 Sep 01] "Islam is Peace" Says President
Remarks by President George W. Bush at the Islamic Center of Washington, D.C.
"These acts of violence against innocents violate the fundamental tenets of the Islamic faith...The face of terror is not the true faith of Islam."
- [16 Sep 01] Remarks by the President Upon Arrival
Five days following the 9/11 terror attacks, President Bush remarked "This is a new kind of - a new kind of evil...This crusade, this war on terrorism is going to take a while...I want to remind the American people that the prime suspect's organization is in a lot of countries - it's a widespread organization based on one thing: terrorizing. They can't stand freedom; they hate what America stands for."
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U.S. Congressional Hearings
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Government Accountability Office, Congressional Resesarch Service, and State Department Reports
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Research & Analysis
- [5 June 09] Obama's Cairo Speech Stresses Common Interests but Fails to Identify the Common Enemy
Lisa Curtis and James Phillips. Heritage Foundation
This article argues that President Obama's June 4, 2009 speech failed to acknowledge the ideological underpinnings of Islamist extremism.
- [4 June 09] Beyond Cairo: Translating "Important" Obama Message into Policies
Edward P. Djerejian. Council on Foreign Relations
- [4 June 09] President Obama Speaks to the World's Muslims: An Early Assessment
Robert Satloff. Washington Institute for Near East Policy
Contains key observations on the themes and implications of President Obama's June 4, 2009 speech and notes the references that were not present in the speech.
- [4 June 09] Obama's Message to Muslims Resonates, But Challenges Await
Steven A. Cook. Council on Foreign Relations
- [1 June 09] Change We Can Believe In? The Muslim World, America, and Obama's Promise
Navtej Dhillon, Laurence Chandy, and Geoffrey Gertz. Brookings Institution
Provides a definition of the "Muslim world," as well as details relating to current and potential U.S. ties with the Muslim world.
- [June 09] The Meaning of Obama's Speech in Cairo
Fawaz A. Gerges. Institute for Social Policy and Understanding
Connects President Obama's speech on U.S. relations with the Muslim world with U.S. policies on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and the place of Islam in America.
- [29 May 09] Obama's Four Cairo Challenges
Stephen R. Grand. Brookings Institution
- [14-16 Feb 09] 6th U.S.-Islamic World Forum
Saban Center for Middle East Policy at the Brookings Institution and the Foreign Ministry of the Government of the State of Qatar
"Overview: The U.S.-Islamic World Forum is designed to bring together key leaders in the fields of politics, business, media, academia, and civil society from across the Muslim world and the United States. It seeks to address the critical issues dividing the United States and the Muslim world by providing a unique platform for frank dialogue, learning, and the development of positive partnerships between key leaders and opinion shapers from both sides."
- [Sep 08] Changing Course: A New Direction for U.S. Relations with the Muslim World
Report of the Leadership Group on U.S.-Muslim Engagement, Convened by Search for Common Ground and the Consensus Building Institute
Assesses the current state of U.S. relations with the Muslim world and provides a new strategy for U.S.-Muslim relations, along with guidelines for the strategy's implementation. Key contributors to the project included Madeleine Albright, former U.S. Secretary of State, Richard Armitage, former U.S. Deputy Secretary of State, former members of Congress, a former Under Secretary of Defense, and Muslim, Christian, and Jewish religious and cultural leaders.
- [June 08] Mightier than the Sword: Arts and Culture in the U.S.-Muslim World Relationship
Cynthia P. Schneider and Kristina Nelson. Saban Center for Middle East Policy at the Brookings Institution
- [April 08] Precision in the Global War on Terror: Inciting Muslims Through the War of Ideas
Sherifa Zuhar. Strategic Studies Institute
Studies the effectiveness of American strategic messages in the Muslim world and argues that messages that promote reforms within the Muslim faith, in an effort to minimize aspects identified as "extremist," and that declare there is a "war within Islam" in which the U.S. should promote ideological moderates risks alienating Muslims and discouraging Muslim populations from supporting U.S. efforts.
- [Feb 08] Religion and its Impact on Foreign Policy in the United States and Germany: Similarities and Differences
Kirsten Verclas. American Institute for Contemporary German Studies, Johns Hopkins University
Assesses how the impact of religion on Western foreign policies affects the West's relationships with Islamic states.
- [Feb 08] Religion in World Affairs: Its Role in Conflict and Peace
David Smock. United States Institute of Peace
- [Feb 08] In Search of Moderate Muslims
Joshua Muravchik and Charlie Szrom. American Enterprise Institute
Seeks to define "moderate Islam" and provide strategies designed to encourage the Muslim majority to act against the goals and ideologies of terrorists.
- [Jan 08] Islam and the West: Annual Report on the State of Dialogue
World Economic Forum
Uses the results of a population perception survey, a dialogue activity survey, and a media content analysis to benchmark the state of the dialogue between Muslim-majority countries and the West in the areas of international politics, citizenship and integration, religion, ethics, and ideology, education and intercultural understanding, and economic and social development.
- [Jan 08] Bridge the Gap, or Mind the Gap? Culture in Western-Arab Relations
Maurits Berger, et al. Netherlands Institute of Itnernational Relations - 'Clingendael'
- [Dec 07] Engagement with the Muslim Community and Counter-Terrorism: British Lessons for the West
H. A. Hellyer. Saban Center for Middle East Policy at the Brookings Institution
Details Britain's lessons learned on the development of strategies to reduce the vulnerability of Muslim communities in Western societies to the threat of radicalization.
- [23 May 06] Choosing Words Carefully: Language to Help Fight Islamic Terrorism
Douglas E. Streusand and LTC Harry D. Tunnell IV. Center for Strategic Communications, National Defense University
Examines the potential detrimental impacts of the words chosen in America's strategic communications with the Muslim world. Provides lists of terms to avoid in U.S. messages, as well as a list of proper and effective expressions to use when discussing the global Islamic terrorist movement.
- [Nov 05] Alhurra, the Free One: Assessing U.S. Satellite Television in the Middle East
Anne Marie Baylouny. Strategic Insights
Evaluates U.S. efforts to win the hearts and minds of Arabs and Muslims through the launch of the American satellite station Alhurra, which seeks to promote an U.S. perspective in the Middle East.
- [Fall 05] The Military Utility of Understanding Adversary Culture
Montgomery McFate. Joint Force Quarterly
- [5 Aug 05] Strengthening U.S. Public Diplomacy Requires Organization, Coordination, and Strategy
Stephen Johnson, Helle C. Dale, and Patrick Cronin. Heritage Foundation
Argues for the reinforcement of U.S. public diplomacy efforts through the promotion of regional and local media initiatives that combat extremism and through engagement with opinion leaders in the Muslim world.
- [May 05] A New Beginning: Strategies for a More Fruitful Dialogue with the Muslim World
Craig Charney and Nicole Yakatan. Council on Foreign Relations
Provides guidance on the development of strategies to project a more favorable image of America in the Muslim world and to shift Muslim attitudes about America.
- [04] The Muslim World after 9/11
Angel M. Rabasa, et al. RAND Corporation
- [7 Oct 03] A New Strategic Direction for U.S. Public Diplomacy in the Arab and Muslim World
Transcript of a Council on Foreign Relations event
- [July 03] An Initiative: Strengthening U.S.-Muslim Communications
Phyllis D'Hoop, ed. Center for the Study of the Presidency
Analyzes the principle sources of anti-Americanism in the Muslim world and argues for the enhancement of U.S. public diplomacy efforts, with the objective of strengthening U.S. national security.
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Additional Resources
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