American foreign policy does not seem to have undergone radical changes in its position towards Islamists. Instead, Islamists seem to display willingness to make a transition and cater for vital American interests in the Arab world - mainly with regard to the following four points: political economy; relations with Israel; the War on Terror; and issues related to identity, especially in the case of minorities. Islamists appear to have proven malleability towards the US in relation to the economic system and foreign policy. Some Islamist leaders have pointed out that the price of this adaptability is expected to be the respect of the US for Islamic ethos, added to the Islamists' autonomy on domestic, social and cultural issues. In conclusion, the relationship between Islamists and the US seems to be in the course of being shaped, but meanwhile, Islamists seem to adopt a realist stand on American foreign policy and national security whereby they do not seem to have quit the approaches of those regimes that have just gone.
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April–June 2013
Research Article|
April 01 2013
What changes have taken place in US foreign policy towards Islamists?†
Fawaz A. Gerges
Fawaz A. Gerges
*
Department of International Relations, London School of Economics (LSE), London, UK
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†
This article is the basis for a more extended study to appear in Political Science Quarterly later in 2013.
*
Email: f.gerges@lse.ac.uk
Contemporary Arab Affairs (2013) 6 (2): 189–197.
Citation
Fawaz A. Gerges; What changes have taken place in US foreign policy towards Islamists?. Contemporary Arab Affairs 1 April 2013; 6 (2): 189–197. doi: https://doi.org/10.1080/17550912.2013.788869
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