Bush's speech: Finally the "ISM" word was uttered!

By Walid Phares

Walid Phares

Finally, four years after the bloodiest Jihadi attack on the Western Hemisphere, and perhaps worldwide, the President of the United States named the enemy: He used the "ISM" word. It was lastly uttered..

In his speech this morning Text, President Bush said: "Some call this (ideology) evil Islamic radicalism, others, militant Jihadism, still others, Islamo-facism. Whatever it's called, this ideology (...) serves a vision: the establishment, by terrorism and subversion and insurgency, of a totalitarian empire." Then he goes on to describe its strategies, the US counter plans and the rationale of American moves around the world to fight the War on Terror. While I'll post later a global analysis of the speech, looking at the advances and the misses, one significant step has been made: Ladies and Gentlemen: we have the names of the enemy...

Indeed, it can be called Islamic radicalism, militant Jihadism, or Islamo-facism. Now we have an "ISM." Better we have three of them!

Just for the records, on August 2, 2004, in the midst of the Presidential campaigns, I addressed a note to President Bush and posted it on my web site at www.walidphares.com

Note to President Bush: "Mr President, name the ideology behind the Terrorists"..
"Mr President, establishing a new doctrine for counter-Terrorism is good, but identifying the doctrine that feeds Terrorism is even better. It is as important to name the ideology behind Terrorism, as it was important to name the regimes behind Terror. The American public, particularly the younger generations cannot live in abstract anymore. They need to identify the teachings of al Qaida, not in terms of their evil nature only, but in terms of what they are about. Americans are not fighting nor being targeted by an abstract called Terrorism, but a growing body of ideological concepts. They need to know what is it they are up against.. [ Visit Website ]
Aug 2, 2004, 18:47

Moreover, I was glad to realize that my forthcoming book Future Jihad expand on the first part of the President's speech. Finally, it is going to be interesting to watch the reactions of the following various players:

a) The political commentators who usually are uncomfortable in dealing with global definitions, but rather wants the focus on the narrower angle of the conflict, and preferably what they see as failures.

b) The Middle East Studies establishment, which will have to take a position vis a vis the speech, particularly that MESA's annual convention is around the corner.

c) al Jazeera, al Manar, the web sites and many Jihadi and Baathist writers in the region. Their reaction will uncover their real and deep thoughts on the issue of "ISMS." The war of ideas will rage further...

Walid Phares is a senior fellow with the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies and a member of the CTB.    

TrackBack