US policy factions on Islamism differed in strategy, not hegemonic goals
Evidence
The difference between the accommodationists and confrontationists was not over the goal of US hegemony, it was about strategy and rhetoric. For example, accommodationists did not see the parties of political Islam as a new monolithic enemy; instead, they drew distinctions between “moderate” Islamists (the term moderate has historically been given to any force that is pro-US, including the ultra-orthodox Wahhabi Saudi monarchy), and the “extremist” minority (the use of this term extremist saw a shift from Arab nationalists to some of the parties of political Islam in this period). — Deepa Kumar, Islamophobia and the Politics of Empire, 416
Categorization
- XREF: Directly corroborates the Aziz/Razack/Rana argument that Islamophobia is policy-serving and that the ‘moderate/extremist’ distinction is geopolitical rather than theological. — connects to: Realist and neocon foreign policy camps differ in tactics not imperial goals — Deepa Kumar, Islamophobia and the Politics of…, 463; Islamist groups were judged purely by their utility to US oil and business interests — Deepa Kumar, Islamophobia and the Politics of…, 410; Early US think-tank debate treated Islam instrumentally, not ideologically — Deepa Kumar, Islamophobia and the Politics of…, 461 (+6 more)
- ADDENDUM: The ‘moderate Muslim = pro-US’ point reinforces the framing in the existing Islamophobia cluster about alleged moderate reformers being manufactured.
Broader Connections
- The US establishment’s Islamism debate was over strategy, not the goal of hegemony
#corroborates(1.00) - US hostility to Islamism depended on whether it served US interests
#expands(0.80) — Deepa Kumar, Islamophobia and the Politics of Empire, 233 - US imperial interests, not Islamist actions, determine Islamist ally or enemy status
#expands(0.80) — Deepa Kumar, Islamophobia and the Politics of Empire, 278 - Islamist groups are labeled allies or terrorists based on US interests
#expands(0.78) — Deepa Kumar, Islamophobia and the Politics of Empire, 400