On June 4, 2009, President Barack Obama

delivered a speech in Cairo, Egypt aimed at launching an

initiative to improve U.S. relations with the Muslim world.
The address sought to enhance American credibility,
promote tolerance and pluralism, and to articulate American
interests on key issues of concern in the Muslim and Arab
worlds. The President claimed responsibility to use his
power to "fight against negative stereotypes of Islam
wherever they appear," and urged Muslims to reject the
"crude stereotype" of America as a "self-interested empire."

President Obama Addresses the U.S.-Islamic World Forum

Posted by Rashad Hussain on February 13, 2010 at 11:24 AM EDT
Today, the President addressed by video the U.S.-Islamic World Forum in Doha, Qatar. He
outlined the actions the United States has taken since his speech in Cairo, Egypt last June, in
which he called for a new beginning between the United States and Muslims around the world.
The President emphasized that the U.S is ending in the war in Iraq, creating partnerships to
isolate violent extremists in Afghanistan, and pursuing a two-state solution that recognizes the
rights and security of Palestinians and Israelis.
He also described the government-wide approach the Administration is taking to create
immediate and long-term programs and partnerships that seek to improve the daily lives of
people in Muslim communities around the world. All agencies and departments – from NASA and
the Small Busines Administration to the Department of State and USAID – have worked together
to implement a number of programs in the areas of education, entrepreneurship, health, and
science and technology. For example, after holding thousands of listening sessions around the
world, the U.S. has expanded exchange programs and online opportunities, forged a global
recovery effort to create jobs in all regions of the world, launched a Global Technology and
Innovation Fund to invest in technological development in the Middle East, Africa, and Asia,
worked with Saudi officials to address H1N1 to prepare for Hajj, and partnered with the
Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) to eradicate polio.

Report on U.S. Relations with the Muslim World

Bipartisan Leaders Suggest New U.S. Strategies and Diplomacy

The U.S.-Muslim Engagement Project has released a report that provides strategies
for improved U.S. relations with Muslim countries and communities.
The September 24, 2008 report, "Changing Course: A New Direction for U.S. Relations with the
Muslim World," is the result of two years of discussion and research which grew from concern
about growing tension and violence between the U.S. and Muslim countries and communities. It
offers a comprehensive strategy – with political, diplomatic, economic and cultural initiatives – to
help ease tensions and build a coalition against terrorism.
The U.S.-Muslim Engagement Project

Thirty-four bipartisan leaders with diverse political and religious views took part in the U.S.-
Muslim Engagement Project. Among them were experts in the fields of foreign policy, national
security, politics, business, religion, education, public opinion, psychology, philanthropy, and
conflict resolution.

Included in the group were former U.S. Secretaries of State Madeleine Albright and Richard
Armitage; Ingrid Mattson, president of the Islamic Society of North America; Dalia Mogahed and
Ahmed Younis of the Gallup Center for Muslim Studies; and Thomas Dine, former executive
director of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee.

The Global War on Terror – An Inadequate Response

The report cites the Global War on Terror as an inadequate response to the events of 9/11 which
did little to reduce national security concerns. It says that policies and actions – not a clash of
civilizations – are at the root of current tensions. The report notes that only a tiny minority of
Muslims endorse terrorism, and that support for terrorism often stems from oppressive conditions
within Muslim countries.

The Report's Recommendations

The "Changing Course" report, based on unprecedented consensus of bipartisan U.S. leaders on
this much-debated topic, suggests four goals to not only improve U.S. relations with Muslims, but
ultimately increase national security and reduce terrorism. The report advises U.S. government
and private leaders to work with their counterparts in Muslim countries to:

• Use diplomacy to resolve conflict.

• Improve governance and increase civic participation in Muslim countries.
• Promote economic development in Muslim countries.
• Improve mutual understanding between Americans and Muslims around the
world.

Improve Diplomacy

The report strongly advocates diplomacy over military action as the primary tool. Iran, Iraq, Israel,
Palestine, Afghanistan and Pakistan were all named areas of the Middle East and Muslim world
which could benefit from elevated U.S. diplomacy.

• American Muslim Statistics

• Mapping the Global Muslim Population
• Obama's Middle East Foreign Policy
Improve Governments and Civic Involvement

The report encourages the U.S. to promote fair and non-violent political contests and governance,
civic involvement, and principles over political parties. It also suggests that the U.S. examine
case-by-case the value of engaging with representatives of armed political and activist
movements.

Catalyze Job-Creating Economic Growth

The U.S. should work to bolster domestic and foreign Muslim economies and create job growth
via policy and trade reforms, public-private investment partnerships, and improved educational
opportunities. Energy resources should be diversified.

Improve Respect and Understanding between Americans and Muslims

Public policy, cross-cultural education, in-depth and accurate news coverage, and increased
cultural diplomacy were all named ways in which to foster respect and understanding between
Americans and Muslims. Key to the strategies' success would be the involvement of the Muslim-
American population as a bridge to greater understanding both in the U.S. and abroad.

Insight on the Muslim World and Call to Action

In addition to outlining comprehensive strategies, the report provides insight into the
complexity of U.S.relations with Muslims. The report further advises the next U.S.
president to prioritize improved U.S.-Muslim relations both domestically and abroad.
US foriegn aid
Unemployment in America is hovering at just below 10 percent, so President Obama
hosted a “Summit on Entrepreneurship” in Washington, D.C., in an effort to boost
economic development … in Muslim nations.

The president thinks more U.S. investment in Muslim lands and exchange programs that
will bring Muslim women to America so they can work as interns will enhance U.S.
prosperity and, thus, change Muslim attitudes about the United States.

Pigs will fly first.

The U.S. has been more than generous to Arab and Muslim nations in direct foreign aid,
military assistance and other ways. Egypt receives about $2 billion of American taxpayer
dollars every year, yet it still votes against American interests at the U.N. 79 percent of
the time. Jordan, a “moderate” Muslim nation, receives nearly $200 million annually in
U.S. foreign aid, but votes against America at the U.N. 71 percent of the time. Pakistan
votes 75 percent of the time against the U.S. at the U.N. while pocketing nearly $7
million annually in foreign aid (in addition to the money it gets to supposedly fight al-
Qaida).

An even better example of the disconnect between American assistance and changed
Muslim attitudes toward the U.S. is the Palestinian Authority. As former Israeli diplomat
Yoram Ettinger writes for ynetnews.com, just since 2007, “U.S. foreign aid to the
Palestinian Authority and to PA-controlled (nongovernmental organizations) reached
nearly $2 billion, in addition to $3.7 billion contributed by the U.S. to the United Nations
Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East since 1950.”

Has this aid produced jobs and, thus, a moderation in rhetoric and the objectives of the
Palestinian Authority and its president, Mahmoud Abbas? Has it led to both sides in the
Middle East conflict mounting a “sustained effort to respect one another and seek
common ground,” as President Obama called for in his Cairo speech last year?

As Ettinger writes in his column, quite the opposite has occurred. “On April 20, 2010
Abbas named a Ramallah street in honor of Abu Jihad, the architect of PLO terrorism
during 1965-1988.” Honor? For masterminding terrorism targeting Israeli civilians?

On March 11, PA media, which Abbas controls, praised Dalal Mughrabi, who
commanded the 1978 Coastal Road Massacre, which resulted in the deaths of 38
civilians, including 13 children. The PA also named a girl’s school in Hebron, a computer
center, a summer camp and a sport tournament after Mughrabi.

In 1994, Abbas, who was then deputy to Yasser Arafat, inaugurated a system of hate
education that continues to this day. In the PA media, in schools and in mosques, children
and adults are exposed to venomous anti-Semitic speech and images that rival those of
The Third Reich. In fact, writes Ettinger, “Hitler and suicide-bombers are folk heroes.”

Ettinger recalls that as Arafat’s top aide for 50 years, Abbas was involved in the “betrayal
of Arab host countries such as Egypt, Syria, Jordan, Lebanon and Kuwait. He enrolled in
KGB courses and submitted a doctorate thesis on Holocaust denial at the Moscow
University

About USAID/Afghanistan
Welcome to the USAID/Afghanistan
website. Our website demonstrates
how American taxpayer dollars are
being used to help Afghanistan and its
people to build a peaceful, prosperous,
and democratic state. It features
projects that are improving the lives of
the Afghan people. The U.S. Agency for
International Development (USAID) in
Afghanistan implements these projects,
and works with a team of outstanding
local and international partners to help
carry them out. Our work in
Afghanistan is an excellent example of
how the American people are helping
the people of Afghanistan build a better
future.
With over 4 billion dollars spent on development programs in
Afghanistan since 2002, USAID provides the largest bilateral civilian
assistance program to Afghanistan. Our work continues to be a vital
support to Afghanistan in its efforts to ensure economic growth led
by the private sector, establish a democratic and capable state
governed by the rule of law, and provide basic services for its
people.
The Afghan people rejoice in peace and freedom: they are dedicated
to working for a better future for the generations to come. USAID
assistance is crucial to achieving this goal. From rehabilitating the
rural economy to developing financial organizations, increasing
trade and export, and repairing the infrastructure for energy,
transport, and water services, USAID assistance plays a major role
helping to reconstruct this shattered country.
The people of Afghanistan democratically elected their
Government. USAID supports Afghanistan in its pledge to fully
develop a stable, legitimate, and democratic state in which the
voices of Afghan people are heard. USAID assists in building
democratic institutions, and the capacity of those institutions to
perform in a participatory, accountable and responsible manner.
USAID is helping the Government of the Islamic Republic of
Afghanistan in its efforts to build a strong judicial system that
safeguards the rights of every Afghan citizen. USAID assists in the
effort to enable Afghan citizens to be a part of a dynamic civil
society and to participate in the decision-making process about the
future of their country.
Afghanistan is committed to developing its human capital and
providing its citizens with access to good quality basic health and
education services. From building clinics and schools to ensuring
equal opportunities to all citizens of Afghanistan, USAID provides
training and capacity development to individuals, families and
communities to protect their health and develop the skills that
enable them to contribute to the growth of their country. Only
investment in Afghanistan's human capital - that is, in its people -
will ultimately lead the country to prosperity, peace and stability on
a long-term, sustainable basis.
We welcome any thoughts and comments you might have as we
join together to meet this great challenge.

The United States and Its Friends and Allies Can Help
to Ameliorate Negative Trends in the Muslim
World
How can the United States respond to the challenges and opportunities that current
conditions in the Muslim world pose to U.S. interests? Researchers suggest a variety
of social, political, and military options:

• Promote the creation of moderate networks to counter radical

messages. Liberal and moderate Muslims have not formed the effective
networks that radicals have. Creation of an international moderate Muslim
network is critical to transmitting moderate messages throughout the Muslim
world and to provide protection for moderate groups. The United States may
need to assist moderates who lack the resources to create such networks
themselves.

• Disrupt radical networks. It is important to understand the characteristics

of radical networks and their support communities, how they communicate
and recruit, and any weaknesses they have. A strategy of “nodal disruption”
would target these critical areas, breaking up radical groups and empowering
Muslim moderates to take control.

• Foster madrassa and mosque reform. There is an urgent need for the
United States and the international community to support reform efforts to
ensure that madrassas provide a broad, modern education and marketable
skills. One course of action is to help establish or strengthen higher education
accreditation boards that monitor and review curricula in state and private
schools. Although outsiders may be reluctant to involve themselves in
ostensibly religious affairs, ways may be found to support the efforts of
governments and moderate Muslim organizations to ensure that mosques do
not serve as platforms for radical ideologies.

• Expand economic opportunities. The ability of some radical organizations

to address entrenched social and economic problems has created a growing
 base of support for their politics. Provision of alternative social services in
many places might help to indirectly undercut the appeal of the extremists. In
particular, the United States and its allies should focus on initiatives that
improve the economic prospects of the young. Programs that promote
economic expansion and self-sufficiency can help reduce the opportunities for
extremists to exploit economic hardship and the perception that the United
States has only military interests in the Muslim world.

• Support “civil Islam.” Support of “civil Islam” — Muslim civil society groups
that advocate moderation and modernity — is an essential component of an
effective U.S. policy toward the Muslim World. Assistance in efforts to develop
education and cultural activities by secular or moderate Muslim organizations
should be a priority. The United States and its allies may also have to assist in
the development of democratic and civil society institutions.

• Deny resources to extremists. A complementary element of the strategy of

supporting secular or moderate Muslim organizations is to deny resources to
extremists. This effort needs to be undertaken at both ends of the radical
funding cycle, in countries where funds either originate (e.g., Saudi Arabia) or
are channeled (e.g., Pakistan) to support extremist groups.

• Balance the requirements of the war on terrorism with the need to

promote stability in moderate Muslim countries. The United States
should ensure that the actions it takes do not play into the hands of radicals,
who depict such moves as a war against Islam. The United States should
demonstrate that its efforts are not meant to strengthen authoritarian or
oppressive regimes, but to promote democratic change.

• Seek to engage Islamists in normal politics. A difficult issue is whether

developing Muslim democracies should allow Islamist parties that may not
have fully credible democratic credentials to participate in politics. While there
is always a danger that an Islamist party, once in power, may move against
democratic freedoms, the inclusion of such groups in open democratic
institutions may encourage moderation in the long run. An unequivocal
commitment to nonviolence and democratic processes should be a
prerequisite for inclusion.

• Engage Muslim diasporas. Diaspora communities are a gateway to

networks and may be helpful in advancing U.S. values and interests. The
United States, for instance, can work with Muslim nongovernment
organizations in responding to humanitarian crises.

• Rebuild close military-to-military relations with key countries. Military

establishments will continue to be influential political actors across the Muslim
world. Therefore, military-to-military relations will be of particular importance
to any U.S. shaping strategy in the Muslim world. Rebuilding a core of U.S.-
trained officers in key Muslim countries is a critical need. Programs such as
International Military Education and Training (IMET) not only ensure that
 future military leaders are exposed to American military values and practices
but can also translate into increased U.S. influence and access.

• Build appropriate military capabilities. The United States faces a need to

reduce the more obvious aspects of its military presence in sensitive areas of
the Muslim world, while working to increase different types of presence (e.g.,
intelligence, psychological operations, and civil affairs such as medical
assistance). The U.S. military should improve its cultural intelligence through
more Arab, Persian, and African regional and language specialists.

U.S. Foreign Assistance Reform

Vision Statement

Ensure the strategic and effective use of foreign assistance resources to respond to global
needs, make the world safer, and help people better their own lives by supporting
programs that:

 Advance human rights and freedoms;

 Promote sustainable economic growth and reduce widespread poverty;
 Promote and support democratic, well-governed states;
 Increase access to quality education, combat disease, and improve public health;
 Respond to urgent humanitarian needs;
 Prevent and respond to conflict; and
 Address transnational threats.

Mission Statement

The Office of the Director of U.S. Foreign Assistance:

 Provides leadership, coordination and strategic direction within the U.S. Government and
with external stakeholders to enhance foreign assistance effectiveness and integrates
foreign assistance planning and resource management across State and USAID;
 Leads strategic, operational, and performance planning of U.S. foreign assistance with a
focus on aligning resources with policy priorities;
  Develops and defends foreign assistance budget requests and allocates State and
USAID foreign assistance funding to meet urgent needs and new opportunities and to
ensure long-term sustainable investments; and
 Promotes good stewardship of foreign assistance funds by strengthening oversight,
accountability, and transparency.

Operating Principles

In order to achieve our vision and mission, our work will be driven by the following
operating principles:

 As public servants, we will be accountable to the American people for ensuring the
effective use of foreign assistance resources by:
 Prioritizing the allocation of resources to ensure that U.S. policy objectives are
achieved;
 Emphasizing a country-based focus for planning and programming resources
that incorporates functional and transcendent needs and priorities;
 Ensuring that resource allocations are informed by analysis of country and
program performance;
 Working with others in State and USAID to align program and operational
resources; and
 Carrying out our work with integrity in a transparent and coordinated manner.
 We will be constructive and cooperative partners with our stakeholders by:
 Respecting and calling upon the expertise of our colleagues;
 Engaging where F has unique capacity or perspective;
 Using our convening authority to bring stakeholders together to develop
coordinated approaches to issues and challenges;
 Continually working with our interagency partners to identify and act upon
opportunities to improve integration and coordination of foreign assistance; and
 Being reasonable and balanced in carrying out our work and in our interactions
with others.
 We will value our employees as our most important resource by:
 Recognizing and rewarding collaboration, teamwork, and excellent performance;
 Encouraging the positive exchange of ideas and perspectives; and
 Fostering professional development through mentoring, training, and career
advancement opportunities.

Assistance for Iranian Earthquake Victims

According to the U.S. Geological Survey, on December 26, 2003, at 05:27 local time, an
earthquake measuring 6.6 on the Richter scale struck southeastern Iran's Kerman
Province. The epicenter of the earthquake, with a depth of 10 km, was near the city of
Bam, 180 km southeast of the provincial capital of Kerman and 975 km southeast of
Tehran. To view a PDF map illustrating the population directly affected by the
earthquake, click here.

According to the USAID Disaster Assistance Response Team (USAID/DART), the GOI
estimates that 85 percent of buildings have been destroyed in Bam and the surrounding
area. Out of the original population of approximately 115,000, the Government of Iran
(GOI) estimates that 45,000 people are homeless, and this number is expected to rise to
75,000 upon the return of those currently staying with relatives or being hospitalized
outside Bam. According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of
Humanitarian Affairs, (UN OCHA), the GOI estimates the earthquake resulted in the
deaths of 30,000 people and injured 30,000 residents.

NUMBERS AT A GLANCE SOURCE

Total Population Killed (Estimate) 30,000 UN OCHA / GOI
Total Population Injured (Estimate) 30,000 UN OCHA / GOI
Total Homeless (Estimate) 45,000 - 75,000 UN OCHA / GOI

Earthquake-damaged buildings in Bam, Iran

Total USAID/OFDA Earthquake Assistance to Iran $3,702,645

Total USG Earthquake Assistance to Iran $5,714,930

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
 If we are to have partners for peace, then we must first be partners in sympathetic recognition that all mankind possesses in
common like aspirations and hungers, like ideals and appetites, like purposes and frailties, a like demand for economic
advancement. The divisions between us are artificial and transient. Our common humanity is God-made and enduring.

President Dwight D. Eisenhower

Address at the Centennial Commencement of Pennsylvania State University
June 11, 1955

Creating partnerships for peace with Muslim countries and communities is one of the greatest challenges—and opportunities—
facing the United States today. Currently, conflict, misunderstanding, and distrust plague U.S. relations with Muslims in many
countries, imperiling security for all. Maintaining the status quo raises the specter of prolonged confrontation, catastrophic attacks,
and a cycle of retaliation.

Despite these tensions, the vast majority of Americans and Muslims around the world want peace, amicable relations, good
governance, prosperity, and respect. Policies and actions—not a clash of civilizations—are at the root of our divisions.

This Report outlines a comprehensive strategy for the U.S. to enhance international security by improving relations with key
Muslim countries and communities. The strategy reflects the consensus of 34 American leaders, including 11 Muslim Americans,
in the fields of foreign and defense policy, politics, business, religion, education, public opinion, psychology, philanthropy, and
conflict resolution. We come from different walks of life, faiths, political perspectives, and professional disciplines. Our shared goal
is to develop and work to implement a wise, widely supportable strategy to make the U.S. and the world safer by responding to the
primary causes of tension between the U.S. and Muslims around the world. We believe that a strategy that builds on shared and
complementary interests with Muslims in many countries is feasible, desirable, and consistent with core American values.

The central message of our strategy is that the U.S. government, business, faith, education, and media leaders must work with
Muslim counterparts to build a coalition that will turn the tide against extremism. Our recommendations are directed primarily to
U.S. leaders and institutions, but we can succeed only if counterparts in Muslim majority countries and communities also take
responsibility for addressing key challenges: reducing extremism, resolving political and sectarian conflicts, holding governments
accountable, creating more vibrant economies, correcting misconceptions, and engaging in dialogue to build mutual respect and
understanding.

The Need for a New Approach

During the past several years, it has become clear that military force may be necessary, but is not sufficient, to defeat violent
extremists in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Pakistan, or to prevent attacks elsewhere. Moreover, military action has significant costs to
U.S. standing in the world, and to our ability to gain the cooperation of other countries in counterterrorism and counterinsurgency
operations. Senior U.S. defense and military leaders have recognized the primary importance of diplomatic, political, economic,
and cultural initiatives in combating extremism.

Recently, the U.S. government has taken important steps to expand the use of diplomacy, support improvements in governance,
and promote economic development in Muslim countries threatened by extremism. In the face of continuing extremist violence
directed at the U.S. and its allies, the next U.S. President and Congress must create and implement a more comprehensive
strategy for reversing extremism in key Muslim regions, countries, and communities. U.S. business, educational, philanthropic,
faith, and media organizations should help define and carry out many elements of that strategy.

The Drivers of Extremism

Only a tiny minority of Muslims is involved in violence against the U.S. and its allies. The extremists’ ability to recruit, operate, and
inflict harm depends on a more widespread set of active and passive supporters. In many Muslim majority countries and Muslim
minority communities, that support is driven by deep-seated frustration with poor governance, constraints on political activity, and
lack of economic opportunity.

The United States is not directly responsible for these conditions and frustrations, but many Muslims see the U.S. as complicit,
believing that it has supported ineffective and corrupt governments in their countries as a way to meet U.S. geopolitical and
economic interests. Their anger is compounded by their sense that the U.S. has favored Israel in its conflict with the Palestinians,
and has exercised a “double standard” on democracy, calling for democratic reforms in the Muslim world while continuing to
support repressive governments in allied Muslim countries. Since the invasion of Iraq, many Muslims have also come to believe
that the U.S. seeks to dominate Muslim countries by force. Efforts by the U.S. government, private leaders and organizations to
change these perceptions have had limited effect.

A Strategy for Reversing Extremism

To shrink the base of support for extremism, our strategy calls on U.S. governmental and private leaders, and their Muslim
 counterparts, to work together to advance four goals: resolving conflicts through diplomacy; improving governance in Muslim
countries; promoting broad-based economic development in Muslim countries and regions; and building mutual respect and
understanding.

Efforts on each of these goals will be helpful, but coordinated action on all four goals, tailored to particular countries and regions,
offers the greatest potential for improvements in U.S. security and U.S.-Muslim relations. Following is a summary of our
recommendations for advancing each of the four goals.

1. Elevate diplomacy as the primary tool for resolving key conflicts involving Muslim countries, engaging both allies and
adversaries in dialogue

• Engage with Iran to explore the potential for agreements that could increase regional security, while seeking Iran’s full
compliance with its nuclear nonproliferation commitments
• Work intensively for immediate de-escalation of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and a viable path to a two-state solution,
while ensuring the security of Israelis and Palestinians
• Promote broad-based political reconciliation in Iraq, and clarify the long-term U.S. role
• Renew international commitment and cooperation to halt extremists’ resurgence in Afghanistan and Pakistan
• Provide top-level U.S. leadership to resolve regional conflicts and to improve coordination with international partners

2. Support efforts to improve governance and promote civic participation in Muslim countries, and advocate for
principles rather than parties in their internal political contests

• Build the capacity of government institutions to deliver services, and of citizens to participate in governance
• Advocate consistently for nonviolence, pluralism and fairness in political contests
• Use U.S. leverage with authoritarian governments to promote reforms in governance
• Assess the value of engagement with political representatives of armed and activist movements case-by-case, based
on their principles, behavior, and level of public support
• Support political transitions and the consolidation of reforms in countries at critical “turning points”

3. Help catalyze job-creating growth in Muslim countries to benefit both the U.S. and Muslim countries’ economies

• Support policy reforms to secure property rights, facilitate transactions and promote investments
• Partner with governments, multilateral institutions and philanthropies to make education a more powerful engine of
employment and entrepreneurship
• Use public-private investment partnerships to reduce risk, promote exports and fund enterprises
• Use trade agreements to reward economic reform and spur investment
• Manage energy interdependence and diversify resources

4. Improve mutual respect and understanding between Americans and Muslims around the world

• Use public diplomacy to reinforce changes in policies and actions

• Dramatically expand cross-cultural education, people-to-people and interfaith exchange
• Promote greater depth and accuracy in news coverage and programming
• Invest in cultural diplomacy through arts and entertainment programs, to deepen mutual understanding and challenge
stereotypes
• Involve the Muslim-American community as a bridge

A Call for Action

Implementing this strategy will require a sustained, coordinated effort by a range of public and private institutions, including the
President and Executive agencies; Members of Congress; business and investment leaders; philanthropic institutions and
development agencies; and educators, faith leaders, the news media, and citizens.
 The next U.S. President and Administration must provide immediate and sustained leadership to improve U.S.-Muslim relations.
We recommend that the next President take these steps:

• Speak to the critical importance of improving relations with the global Muslim community in his 2009 inaugural address
• Take key actions immediately to demonstrate a commitment to improving relations, including:
- Immediately organizing a whole-of-government effort, with Presidential leadership, to define and implement a strategy
for improving relations with key Muslim countries and communities
- Immediately re-affirming the U.S. commitment to prohibit all forms of torture
• Within the first three months of the Administration, initiate a major and sustained diplomatic effort to resolve regional
conflicts and promote security cooperation in the Middle East, giving top priority to engagement with Iran and
permanent resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict
• Within the first six months of the Administration, co-convene a business-government summit on economic reform,
growth, and job creation in the Middle East to accelerate current reform and investment initiatives
• Work with leaders in Congress, educational, cultural and philanthropic institutions in the U.S., and counterparts in
Muslim countries, to create and fund a global initiative for teaching, learning, and exchange among citizens in the U.S.
and Muslim countries

It will also be important for a wide range of private actors to coordinate their activities more closely, while maintaining their
separation from the government. To do so, we recommend that the new Administration and leading business, educational,
philanthropic, faith, and media organizations co-convene forums on U.S.-Muslim relations, and create new platforms for action,
making special efforts to involve Muslim-American leaders.

What Is at Stake
Immediate action is needed. Neither the U.S. nor Muslims in regions of conflict can afford a further deterioration in relations.
Extremist groups and movements have gained ground in many Muslim countries. Their appeal will grow unless the U.S. acts more
effectively to address the economic, political, and security concerns that extremists have exploited.

Implementing our recommendations will not eliminate the risk of terrorist attacks affecting the U.S. Yet given a broad, deep, and
sustained commitment, our proposed strategy will reshape U.S. relations with Muslim leaders and peoples in ways that improve
U.S. and international security, transform the spiral of fear and mistrust into a foundation of mutual confidence and respect, and
help create a more peaceful world.