Summary
This essay discusses the resurgence of
Islamic fundamentalism in the post-Cold War era and explains why this ideology
represents a threat to the safety and security of the West in particular, and
the non-Muslim world generally. The end of the Cold War and the collapse of the
Soviet Union have had at least three major effects, each of which has been
exploited by Muslim fundamentalist groups: These events created an ideological
vacuum, a power vacuum and the largest weapons bazaar and black market in world
history. Communism has been discredited and is viewed by the developing world as
no longer worthy of emulation. Islamic fundamentalism is now the rival ideology
of choice in opposition to the Western democracies. The collapse of Soviet power
has also given rise to a power vacuum. Islamic parties have sprung up across the
former Soviet Union as a result. Third, the disintegration of the Soviet empire
and the concomitant loss of centralized control over its vast military arsenal
have given the fundamentalists unprecedented access to weapons of mass
destruction capable of making relatively small terrorist groups or nations into
world-class military threats overnight. This is the world into which Usama bin
Ladin and others have stepped, with ready cash in hand.
The transnational Muslim fundamentalist
movement is characterized by a very specific domestic and foreign policy agenda.
These groups seek the overthrow of their own governments, the establishment of
an Islamic theocracy or religious dictatorship founded upon the adoption and
strict application of the sharia, Islam’s legal code, and the eradication
and expulsion of all non-Muslim influences. In terms of foreign policy, these
groups adopt an implacably hostile and adversarial posture toward the West and
frequently advocate violent action against it, including attacks on civilians,
which actions are justified by references to Islamic religious duty. The
fundamentalists have also engaged in disturbing acts of cultural destruction, or
advocated the same, in order to rid their territories of non-Muslim landmarks.
The most salient characteristic of
the fundamentalist cause, and the most relevant from a Western standpoint, is
the fundamentalist movement’s extreme and violent hatred of the West. This
hatred cannot be dissolved by political concessions. The fundamentalists hate
the West for who and what it is. They hate the West’s secular culture, its
music, art, literature, form of government and so on. There is nothing the West
could ever do, no cognizable demands it could ever satisfy, short of stepping
into a cultural gas chamber that would ever satisfy the essential demands of the
Muslim fundamentalists.
President Khatami of Iran is attempting to
reform the hard-line, fundamentalist government of Iran. His appearance is a
hopeful sign. However, he faces an uphill battle and his reforms face many
institutional and ideological hurdles. It is an open question whether he will
have a lasting influence upon the political landscape of the Muslim world.
This essay
concludes with several policy recommendations: Western governments should
condemn the violent words and deeds of the fundamentalists, not their religious
status. Western governments should support and rally around the concept of civil
society rather than immediate elections. The West should not rigidly support
calls for elections today which would only serve to betray democratic principles
tomorrow. Fundamentalists who seek power in places like Algeria have already
previously stated they would abolish democracy and elections once they were in
power. In terms of defense policy, the West must understand that the deterrence
doctrine will be completely ineffective in dealing with this adversary. The
fundamentalists will not be deterred by the possibility of annihilation. Indeed,
they view martyrdom as a desirable end. Finally, Western governments must be
reminded that money does not always talk. Attempts to “buy the fundamentalists
off” with economic aid will not work. Theirs is a different sensibility and
sense of mission entirely. Money will not convince these groups to give up their
dearly-held, core beliefs.
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