US support for Islamists continued in the 1980s despite threats to Israel
Evidence
External developments, including the Iranian revolution, the birth of Hezbollah in Lebanon, and the rise of Hamas, eventually forced Israel to rethink this strategy. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, Israeli leaders—with the assistance of their neoconservative allies in the United States—sought to convince the US political leadership that it faced a larger-than-life enemy: Islamic fundamentalism. Their efforts were successful only after September 11, 2001; in the 1980s, despite the rise of Hezbollah and Hamas as threats to Israel, the United States continued to support Islamists against the USSR. — Deepa Kumar, Islamophobia and the Politics of Empire, 264
Categorization
- XREF: connects to: The US alternately armed and opposed Islamist forces to preserve its regional domination. — Deepa Kumar, Islamophobia and the Politics of Empire, 29; The US held contradictory Islamist allies and enemies simultaneously — Deepa Kumar, Islamophobia and the Politics of Empire, 214; American Cold War strategy cultivated Islamists against secular nationalism — Deepa Kumar, Islamophobia and the Politics of Empire, 219 (+4 more)
Broader Connections
- US hostility to Islamism depended on whether it served US interests
#corroborates(0.85) — Deepa Kumar, Islamophobia and the Politics of Empire, 233 - US facilitated Muslim violence when it served Cold War interests
#corroborates(0.80) — Green, Todd H, The Fear of Islam_ An Introduction to…, 288 - US imperial interests, not Islamist actions, determine Islamist ally or enemy status
#corroborates(0.70) — Deepa Kumar, Islamophobia and the Politics of Empire, 278