US-Muslim Engagement: Reversing the Downward Spiral

Published January 15th, 2008 by David Fairman
Send this page

Earlier this year, CBI and Search for Common Ground convened a distinguished group of American leaders with diverse political viewpoints, cultural backgrounds and professional skills for a Summit on U.S. Engagement with the Global Muslim Community. Together, they launched a two-year project to begin reversing the downward spiral in U.S. relations with the Muslim world.

This project’s goal is to improve U.S. relations with the Muslim world, while enhancing U.S. security. To do so, the project is drawing on the wisdom and expertise of eminent leaders, the perspectives of the American public, and the best available research on the concerns of Muslims around the world. This unprecedented partnership between leaders and citizens will generate a new set of strategies for improving relations.

At the core of the project is an eminent and exceptionally diverse Leadership Group—including former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, Ambassador Dennis Ross, Republican strategist Vin Weber, Muslim leader Imam Feisal Rauf, Richard Land of the Southern Baptist Convention, former AIPAC Exec. Director Tom Dine, Muslim public opinion expert Dalia Mogahed, and 23 other leaders in politics, foreign policy, faith communities, business, media, and public opinion. Click here for a complete list of participants.

The Leadership Group is crafting a compelling new vision of the challenges and opportunities in U.S. relations with Muslim countries and peoples. Unlike most blue ribbon panels, this Group is also seeking to understand and reflect the views and values of American citizens, using a unique dialogue method developed by pollster Dan Yankelovich. To make sure its recommendations get a serious hearing at the highest levels and stimulate broad public discussion, the Leadership Group will leverage the credibility, visibility, and access of its members with decision makers and the media. The project has a sophisticated communications strategy (developed in consultation with leading political communication experts) that aims to influence the foreign policy agendas of Presidential candidates, the coverage of U.S.-Muslim issues in the media, and the views of opinion makers in the business, faith and policy communities. The Leadership Group intends to report out by mid-2008, in time to affect both the campaign debate and the actions of the new Administration that will take office in 2009. See attachments for project overview.

The US-Muslim Engagement project has been organized by two groups: Search for Common Ground, an international conflict transformation organization based in Washinton, DC; and the Consensus Building Institute, a respected conflict resolution organization based in Cambridge, MA and Washington, DC. Also partnering on this project are the Viewpoint Learning organization (chaired by Dan Yankelovich) and the Gallup Organization’s Muslim-West Facts Initiative.

Syndicate content