ABSTRACT
This chapter expresses that those who hold persuasive beliefs currently outnumber those who hold violent beliefs in all major civilizations. Most importantly, it recognizes that the persuaders of the world are the natural allies of anyone who rises against the world of terror and, in effect, all other forms of violence. The chapter suggests that those on the persuasive side of the fault line today include the majority of Muslims especially in nations such as Indonesia, Morocco, Bangladesh, and Turkey, despite some recent increases in radical Islam in these nations, as well as the majority of Hindus, Buddhists, Christians, Jews, socialists, and many other groups. They are all potential members of a 'persuasive alliance', a coalition of people who seek first and foremost to draw on normative power rather than on force in forming a new global order and in sustaining domestic regimes. Liberal Muslims are recognized and celebrated because they serve as a counterpoint to extremists.
