The Islam Problematique: Scholars Marching in Lockstep with Policy-Makers.

?Islam? has emerged as a central problematique in international relations especially since the end of the Cold War. Western commentators (from policy makers and media pundits to think-tank analysts and academics) have more or less come to perceive ?Islam? (variously articulated) as a formidable threat to Western civilization and interests. The central question with which this paper is concerned is ?why such a perception?? The Islamic dogma has not drastically changed; Osama bin Laden does not represent anything new to reform in Islam. The military power of all states of the Arab Middle East pales next to that of the US or even that of ?little? Israel. With perhaps the exception of Pakistan, there is no single Muslim state genuinely capable of defending itself against external aggression. There are no Islamic armadas roaming the oceans to safeguard the interests of Muslims. The answer could not be found in the changed nature of the Islamic doctrine or in the offensive capabilities of Muslims states. It can only be found in the realization of the Muslims, since the Islamic revolution in Iran, of the power potential of the Islamic ideology of resistance and self-determination. In this paper, I wish to analyze the "Islam" problematique and, informed by Edward Said?s Orientalism and Johan Galtung?s insights on structural and cultural violence, I will argue that the preoccupation with ?and vilification of --?Islam? is part of the Western realpolitik project of continued domination of Muslim lands. We will demonstrate that academics, including Middle East specialists, have at best been marginal and at worst culprits, serving the policy demands of Western governments. ..PAT.-Unpublished Manuscript [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]