About the Program

The struggle underway today throughout much of the Muslim world is essentially a war of ideas. While radical and dogmatic interpretations of Islam have gained ground in recent years via extensive Islamist networks spanning the Muslim world and its diaspora communities, moderates have not developed similar networks to amplify their message and to provide protection from violence and intimidation. With considerable experience fostering networks of people committed to free and democratic ideas during the Cold War, the United States has a critical role to play in leveling the playing field for Muslim moderates.

A newly released RAND Corporation report titled “Building Moderate Muslim Networks,” derives lessons from the U.S. and allied Cold War network-building experience and determines their applicability to the current situation in the Muslim world. It assesses the effectiveness of U.S. government programs of engagement with the Muslim world and develops a “road map” to foster the construction of moderate Muslim networks. Specifically, the suggested implementation plan put forth in the report recommends that the U.S. government:

• establish an explicit link between the decision to build moderate Muslim networks and overall U.S. strategy and programs, along with creating an institutional structure within the U.S. government to guide, support, and continuously monitor this effort;
• identify potential partners whose agenda is compatible with modern pluralistic and democratic values, with priority given to: 1) liberal and secular Muslim academics and intellectuals, 2) young moderate religious scholars, 3) community activists, 4) women's groups engaged in gender equality campaigns, and 5) moderate journalists and writers;
• develop assistance programs that are organized around democratic education, media, gender equality, and policy advocacy; and
• seek to reverse the flow of radical ideas from the Middle East by encouraging the inflow of more moderate ideas back to the Middle East from other regions of the Muslim world.

About the Speaker

Dr. Angel Rabasa is a Senior Policy Analyst at the RAND Corporation who has written extensively about Islamic extremism, terrorism, and insurgency. He is the author of numerous RAND reports including: Building Moderate Muslim Networks (RAND 2007); Beyond al-Qaeda, Part 1: The Global Jihadist Movement and Part 2: The Outer Rings of the Terrorist Universe (RAND 2006); The Muslim World After 9/11 (RAND 2004); Indonesia's Transformation and the Stability of Southeast Asia (RAND 2001); and Colombian Labyrinth: The Synergy of Drugs and Insurgency and Its Implications for Regional Stability (RAND 2001). Also, before joining RAND, Dr. Rabasa served in the U.S. Departments of State and Defense. Dr. Rabasa has a B.A. and Ph.D. in history from Harvard University and was a Knox Fellow at St. Antony's College, Oxford University.

How to Attend

To RSVP, please fill out the form below or contact Sage Newman at sage_newman@rand.org or 703-413-1100 ext. 5781.