This book examines the major dynamics that drive changes in the religio-political landscape of the Muslim world, the effects of 9/11, the global war on terrorism, and the war in Iraq, and their implications for global security and U.S. and Western interests.

Momentous events since September 11, 2001 - the 9/11 terrorist attacks, Operation Enduring Freedom, the global war on terrorism, and the recent war in Iraq - have dramatically altered the political environment of the Muslim world, its attitudes and relations toward the West, and vice versa. Many dynamic forces influencing this environment, however, are the products of trends that have been at work for many decades. This new book examines the major dynamics driving changes in the religio-political landscape of the Muslim world - a vast and diverse region that stretches from Western Africa through the Middle East to the Southern Philippines and includes Muslim communities and diasporas throughout the world - as well as the implications of these trends for global security and Western interests. The world's Muslims encompass a broad religious universe and differ in their political and social orientation. This volume first presents a typology of ideological tendencies in the different regions of the Muslim world, along a spectrum of views toward democracy and violence. Second, it identifies the factors that produce religious extremism and violence. Third, it assesses key cleavages and f