A recent global upsurge in Islamist terrorism is rekindling a debate over the extremists’ motivations that first spiked after the 9/11 attacks: Is the violence aimed at who we (the West) are – or at what we do? For some experts, the attacks – whether in London or Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt – are aimed at the West for what it is doing: in other words for its policies, like the war in Iraq. Others insist that the perpetrators are more at odds with the ideals of the West and “who we are.” For the latter group, this is a war of civilizations or ideologies that the West has no choice but to fight aggressively, because anything else would entail appeasement and imply a retreat from identity and principles. Yet for those who believe the violence is a result of what the West – primarily the United States – is doing in Muslim lands, one answer is to avoid actions that alienate and evoke the fears of peaceful Muslims while providing a windfall for the violent few. Full Story
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