The Chasm Between How Westerners and Muslims View the Conflict That Binds Them

This research paper examines the divergent perspectives between Western leaders and the Muslim world regarding the 'war on terror,' arguing that while the West frames the conflict as a defense of freedom, many Muslims view it as a reaction to Western policies and actions in the Muslim world.

• There is a fundamental disconnect in how the conflict is perceived: Western leaders describe the war on terror as a defense of their values and way of life, whereas Islamist extremists and others view their actions as a response to specific US policies and actions within the Muslim world.
• The author contends that the central issue of the conflict is the future of the Muslim world rather than the preservation of Western democracy, and that the outcome will redefine the global order.
• In Iraq, Western efforts to establish secularism have instead fostered sectarianism. Specific failures include the dissolution of Hussein's army, which created a security vacuum and left one million men unemployed, and a political approach that alienated the Sunni base while empowering Shiite clerics.
• The author suggests that winning the war on terror requires a shift from selective interference to creating opportunities for self-determination, balancing military power with diplomacy and development assistance, and pressuring countries like Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Egypt, and Syria to implement democratic reforms and combat corruption.
• Analysis of the London attacks suggests that while emergency response was effective, intelligence remains a weakness, exacerbated in this instance by the redeployment of anti-terrorism forces to protect the Group of Eight summit in Gleneagles, Scotland.

APA

South African Institute of International Affairs (2008). The Chasm Between How Westerners and Muslims View the Conflict That Binds Them. https://saiia.org.za/research/chasm-between-how-westerners-and-muslims-view-the-conflict-that-binds-them/

Chicago

South African Institute of International Affairs. The Chasm Between How Westerners and Muslims View the Conflict That Binds Them. 2008. https://saiia.org.za/research/chasm-between-how-westerners-and-muslims-view-the-conflict-that-binds-them/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=South African Institute of International Affairs |title=The Chasm Between How Westerners and Muslims View the Conflict That Binds Them |date=29 April 2008 |url=https://saiia.org.za/research/chasm-between-how-westerners-and-muslims-view-the-conflict-that-binds-them/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{southafricaninstituteofinternationalaffairs2008chasm, author = {{South African Institute of International Affairs}}, title = {{The Chasm Between How Westerners and Muslims View the Conflict That Binds Them}}, institution = {South African Institute of International Affairs}, year = {2008}, month = apr, url = {https://saiia.org.za/research/chasm-between-how-westerners-and-muslims-view-the-conflict-that-binds-them/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }