Liberal imperialists and neocons both frame Islamism as the new totalitarianism requiring Western expungement

Evidence

As Kundnani notes, Hitchens shared with Berman the view that “as soon as the West had won its historic battle against communism, a new totalitarianism—Islamism—emerged as a political force. The West, it is argued, is morally obliged to expunge this totalitarian threat both in the Islamic world and among its own Muslim communities.” Thus, although the liberal imperialists use more subtle language, they ultimately end up making a similar argument to the neocons (see, for instance, Podhoretz’s World War 4: The Long Struggle against Islamofascism) and the Islamophobic warriors. Daniel Pipes has similarly argued that “what Nazism or fascism was to World War II and Marxist/Leninism was to the Cold War, militant Islam is to this war [the War on Terror].” — Deepa Kumar, Islamophobia and the Politics of Empire, 570

Categorization

• XREF: The ‘new totalitarianism’ frame parallels Rana’s account of how Muslim political identity is continuously substituted for communism in US security discourse. — connects to: Liberal Islamophobia is racist and imperialist despite its gentler rhetoric — Deepa Kumar, Islamophobia and the Politics of Empire, 430; Islamophobia functions as a screen hiding Western geopolitical responsibility — Peter Morey, Islamophobia and the Novel, 513; Liberal Islamophobia rejects Islam-bashing while enacting policies that target Muslims — Deepa Kumar, Islamophobia and the Politics of Empire, 583 (+6 more)

Broader Connections

• Liberal Islamophobia is racist and imperialist despite its gentler rhetoric #corroborates (0.70) — Deepa Kumar, Islamophobia and the Politics of Empire, 430
• Liberal Islamophobia rejects Islam-bashing while enacting policies that target Muslims #corroborates (0.65) — Deepa Kumar, Islamophobia and the Politics of Empire, 583
• Liberal universalism is reasserted as defense against Islamic terrorism. #corroborates (0.60)
• Islamophobia functions as a screen hiding Western geopolitical responsibility #expands (0.55) — Peter Morey, Islamophobia and the Novel, 513