Islam and Muslims in the mind of America: Influences on the making of US policy

This essay examines the ways in which the U.S. public, media, interest groups and foreign policy elite, including Congress, influence the making of American policy toward political Islam. After analyzing the focal historical, cultural, and current political developments that inform Americans' attitudes on Islamic resurgence, the paper argues that contemporary security and strategic considerations not just culture and ideology, account for America's preoccupation with Islamism.