“The detailed texture of Mr. Bush’s speech transforms the official American understanding of who the enemy is, moving it from the superficial and inadequate notion of ‘terrorism’ to the far deeper concept of ‘Islamic radicalism’. This change has potentially enduring importance if finally … it convinces polite society to name the enemy. Doing so means, for example, that immigration authorities and law enforcement can take Islam into account when deciding whom to let into the country or whom to investigate for terrorism offenses. Focusing on Muslims as the exclusive source of Islamists permits them finally to do their job adequately.”
Daniel Pipes in the New York Sun, 11 October 2005
Marc Lynch reports on Pipes’ performance on al-Jazeera: “Bush’s speech, according to Pipes, indicates that the American government is worried about what is in the Arab media, and that the governments and institutions running those media should expect greater American pressure to behave responsibly. (He does have a point, you know: it’s hard to argue that al-Jazeera doesn’t give a platform to extremists when Pipes keeps getting invited back…)”