America's Perceptions of Political Islam: Roots of Geopolitical Image and Implications for U.S. Middle East Policy

Abstract

This thesis examins America's perceptions of Islamism with a view both to identify the geopolitical dynamics that shape the U.S. Middle East prefernces and predict the trajectories of the U.S.-Islamist relations. the importance of this topic lies in the fact that the mainstream Islamism has increasingly established itself as an unrivaled force, emerging as a leading catalyst for change, and hence posing a threat to the U.S.-backed authoritarian power structures. focusing on the presidencies of Bill Clinton (1993-2001), George W. Bush (2001-2009), and Barck Obama (2009-2016), this research seeks to develop an empirical-based argument, offering a compelling interpretation of the post-Cold War's U.S. approaches towards Islamism in power. The outbreak of the Arab Spring at the outset of 2011 further reinforced the centrality of this theme, where moderate Islamists dominated the political scene in Egypt, Tunisa, Libya, and Yemen. The West in general, and the United States in particular, appeared to have depicted Islamism in power as a security threat rather than political challenge. Howvere, This study concludes that the U.S. conceptualizations of the contemporary Politica Islam are primarily rooted in a maltitude of historical, political, and ideological factors.