Eisenhower’s doctrine secretly armed Islamist groups against secular nationalists.

Evidence

The Eisenhower doctrine, unveiled in 1957, promised financial and military assistance to countries in the MENA region that were under threat “from any nation controlled by international communism.” In short, in addition to financial incentives, Eisenhower also put the military option on the table. One lesser-known aspect of the Eisenhower doctrine was the “Islam strategy.” This strategy consisted of bolstering Islamist organizations against secular nationalists and of trying to create an Islamic pole of attraction in King Saud of Saudi Arabia. — Deepa Kumar, Islamophobia and the Politics of Empire, 397 (#corroborates, via linked claim)

In the context of the Cold War, the United States had two objectives in the Middle East: to control the flow of oil and to keep the Soviet Union out. After an initial period when it tried to bring radical secular nationalists into the fold, it turned against them. This meant cultivating all forces that could counter radical secular nationalism and communism. At the top of this list were the Islamists. — Deepa Kumar, Islamophobia and the Politics of Empire, 219 (#corroborates, via linked claim)

Categorization

• corroborated: 3 independent passages support this claim
• XREF: connects to: Eisenhower armed Islamist groups against secular nationalists during the Cold War; Eisenhower’s Islam strategy armed Islamists against secular nationalists — Deepa Kumar, Islamophobia and the Politics of…, 397; American Cold War strategy cultivated Islamists against secular nationalism — Deepa Kumar, Islamophobia and the Politics of Empire, 219 (+9 more)

Broader Connections

• Eisenhower armed Islamist groups against secular nationalists during the Cold War #corroborates (1.00)
• Eisenhower’s Islam strategy armed Islamists against secular nationalists #corroborates (0.98) — Deepa Kumar, Islamophobia and the Politics of Empire, 397
• American Cold War strategy cultivated Islamists against secular nationalism #corroborates (0.95) — Deepa Kumar, Islamophobia and the Politics of Empire, 219
• The CIA deliberately cultivated Islamist groups as Cold War counterweights to Nasserism #corroborates (0.92) — Deepa Kumar, Islamophobia and the Politics of Empire, 389
• US cold-war strategy deliberately weaponized religion against nationalism and communism in Muslim regions #corroborates (0.90) — Deepa Kumar, Islamophobia and the Politics of Empire, 388
• The same Islamist figures who denounced the US conspired with the CIA against nationalists #corroborates (0.85) — Deepa Kumar, Islamophobia and the Politics of Empire, 370
• Governments’ own Cold War policies helped Islamists dominate Muslim political opposition #expands (0.85) — Samuel P. Huntington, The Clash of Civilizations and the…, 313
• The 1957 Eisenhower doctrine promised armed backing against communist threat #complicates (0.80)
• Soviet defeat in Afghanistan legitimized Islamist militancy in the region #expands (0.80) — Deepa Kumar, Islamophobia and the Politics of Empire, 399
• Orientalist knowledge became enlisted in Cold War counterinsurgency and national-security manipulation #expands (0.78)
• Arab regimes in the 1970s deliberately backed Islamists against secular nationalists and the left #qualifies (0.75) — Deepa Kumar, Islamophobia and the Politics of Empire, 372
• The government sponsored Orientalist conferences to weaponize religion #expands (0.75) — Deepa Kumar, Islamophobia and the Politics of Empire, 226