ABSTRACT
The conflict between the United States and its Muslim enemies is a confrontation between two equally chauvinistic cultures cut from the same cloth; each believes itself to be on the side of God, while its enemies are the incarnation of evil. The infusion of these theological assumptions into politics does not augur well for the world. In this chapter, I will argue that these religious ideas lead to the demonization of the enemy, which in turn makes war more vicious, intractable, and oblivious to all prudential considerations. I will also give reasons for why the administration of Barack Obama must take the lead in abandoning the ‘War on Terror’ begun by his predecessor.
