Building Moderate Muslim Networks

THE ARTS This PDF document was made available CHILD POLICY from www.rand.org as a public service of CIVIL JUSTICE the RAND Corporation. EDUCATION ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENT Jump down to document6 HEALTH AND HEALTH CARE INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS The RAND Corporation is a nonprofit NATIONAL SECURITY research organization providing POPULATION AND AGING PUBLIC SAFETY objective analysis and effective SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY solutions that address the challenges SUBSTANCE ABUSE facing the public and private sectors TERRORISM AND HOMELAND SECURITY around the world. TRANSPORTATION AND INFRASTRUCTURE WORKFORCE AND WORKPLACE Support RAND Purchase this document Browse Books & Publications Make a charitable contribution For More Information Visit RAND at www.rand.org Explore RAND Center for Middle East Public Policy View document details Limited Electronic Distribution Rights This document and trademark(s) contained herein are protected by law as indicated in a notice appearing later in this work. This electronic representation of RAND intellectual property is provided for non- commercial use only. Permission is required from RAND to reproduce, or reuse in another form, any of our research documents. This product is part of the RAND Corporation monograph series. RAND monographs present major research findings that address the challenges facing the public and private sectors. All RAND monographs undergo rigorous peer review to ensure high standards for research quality and objectivity. Building Moderate Muslim Networks Angel Rabasa Cheryl Benard Lowell H. Schwartz Peter Sickle Sponsored by the Smith Richardson Foundation CENTER FOR MIDDLE EAST PUBLIC POLICY The research described in this report was sponsored by the Smith Richardson Foundation and was conducted under the auspices of the RAND Center for Middle East Public Policy. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Building moderate Muslim networks / Angel Rabasa, Cheryl Benard, Lowell H. Schwartz, Peter Sickle. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references. ISBN 978-0-8330-4122-7 (pbk. : alk. paper) 1. Islam—21st century. 2. Islamic fundamentalism. 3. Islamic countries— Relations—United States. 4. United States—Relations—Islamic countries. I. Rabasa, Angel. BP163.B745 2007 320.5'57090511—dc22 2006101898 The RAND Corporation is a nonprofit research organization providing objective analysis and effective solutions that address the challenges facing the public and private sectors around the world. RAND’s publications do not necessarily reflect the opinions of its research clients and sponsors. R® is a registered trademark. Cover design by Eileen Delson La Russo © Copyright 2007 RAND Corporation All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form by any electronic or mechanical means (including photocopying, recording, or information storage and retrieval) without permission in writing from RAND. Published 2007 by the RAND Corporation 1776 Main Street, P.O. Box 2138, Santa Monica, CA 90407-2138 1200 South Hayes Street, Arlington, VA 22202-5050 4570 Fifth Avenue, Suite 600, Pittsburgh, PA 15213-2665 RAND URL: http://www.rand.org/ To order RAND documents or to obtain additional information, contact Distribution Services: Telephone: (310) 451-7002; Fax: (310) 451-6915; Email: [email protected] Preface The struggle underway throughout much of the Muslim world is essentially a war of ideas. Its outcome will determine the future direc- tion of the Muslim world and whether the threat of jihadist terrorism continues, with some Muslim societies falling back even further into patterns of intolerance and violence. It profoundly affects the security of the West. While radical Islamists are a minority almost every- where, in many areas they hold the advantage. To a large extent, this is because they have developed extensive networks spanning the Muslim world and sometimes reaching beyond it, to Muslim communities in North America and Europe. Moderate and liberal Muslims, although a majority in most Muslim countries and communities, have not created similar networks. Moderate Muslim networks and institutions would provide a platform to amplify the message of moderate as well as some measure of protection from violence and intimidation. Moderates, however, do not have the resources to create these networks themselves; they may require an external catalyst. With consid- erable experience dating back to the U.S. efforts during the Cold War to foster networks of people committed to free and democratic ideas, the United States has a critical role to play in leveling the playing field for moderates. What is needed at this stage is to derive lessons from the experience of the Cold War, determine their applicability to the conditions of the Muslim world today, and develop a “road map” for the construction of moderate and liberal Muslim networks—what this study proposes to do. iii iv Building Moderate Muslim Networks The research behind this monograph builds on the RAND Cor- poration’s previous work on moderate Islam, particularly Angel Rabasa et al., The Muslim World After 9/11, and Cheryl Benard, Civil Demo- cratic Islam. Funded by a grant from the Smith Richardson Foundation, this research was conducted within the RAND Center for Middle East Public Policy (CMEPP). CMEPP is part of International Programs at the RAND Corporation, which aims to improve public policy by providing decisionmakers and the public with rigorous, objective research on critical policy issues affecting the Middle East. Addressing one of the central issues of our time—the war of ideas within Islam—this study is germane to the strategic interests of the United States and its allies and is directly related to the Smith Rich- ardson Foundation’s view that the United States continues to face the challenge of enhancing international order and advancing U.S. interests and values abroad. This monograph should be of value to the national security community and interested members of the general public, both in the United States and abroad. Comments are welcome and should be addressed to the authors: Dr. Angel M. Rabasa Dr. Cheryl Benard RAND Corporation RAND Corporation 1200 South Hayes Street 1200 South Hayes Street Arlington, Virginia 22202 Arlington, Virginia 22202 [email protected] [email protected] For more information on the RAND Center for Middle East Public Policy, contact the Director, David Aaron. He can be reached by e-mail at [email protected] or by mail at RAND, 1776 Main Street, Santa Monica, California 90407-2138. For information on RAND’s International Programs, contact the Director, Susan Ever- ingham at [email protected] or by mail at RAND’s Cor- porate Headquarters in Santa Monica. More information about the RAND Corporation is available at www.rand.org. Contents Preface ............................................................................. iii Figure and Tables ................................................................ ix Summary .......................................................................... xi Acknowledgments ............................................................. xxv Abbreviations ...................................................................xxix CHAPTER ONE Introduction ....................................................................... 1 The Challenge of Radical Islam .................................................. 1 Potential Partners and Allies ...................................................... 3 CHAPTER TWO The Cold War Experience ....................................................... 7 U.S. Grand Strategy at the Beginning of the Cold War....................... 7 Political Warfare...................................................................10 U.S. Networking Efforts .........................................................13 Liberation Committees.........................................................14 Congress of Cultural Freedom ................................................18 Labor Unions................................................................... 22 Student Organizations ........................................................ 24 Role of U.S. Government Foundation-Like ................................ 26 British Network-Building Activities ............................................29 Lessons from the Cold War Experience ....................................... 30 Why Was the Effort Successful?.................................................33 v vi Building Moderate Muslim Networks CHAPTER THREE Parallels Between the Cold War and the Challenges in the Muslim World Today .................................................................35 CHAPTER FOUR U.S. Government Efforts to Stem the Radical Tide .......................41 U.S. Government Programs and Challenges for the Future ................ 43 Democracy Promotion .......................................................... 44 Civil-Society Development ......................................................49 Public Diplomacy ................................................................ 54 Case Study: The Middle East Partnership Initiative .........................57 The BMENA Foundation for the Future.......................................61 Conclusions ........................................................................63 CHAPTER FIVE Road Map for Moderate Network Building in the Muslim World ...............................................................65 Identifying Key Partners and Audiences .......................................65 Characteristics of Moderate

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