Economics Versus Extremism

The failure of post-9/11 Western policies in the Muslim world has led many to misunderstand extremism as a byproduct of the Muslim faith rather than a result of the desolate economic situation that plagues many such nations. Tuft’s University professor Vali Nasr argues that beneath stories of growing terrorist groups lies a small-but-emerging group of middle-class capitalists who are integrated in the global economy and, therefore, suited to direct their nations away from extremism in support of economic growth and prosperity. Importantly, this middle class does not depend on state largesse, but rather on global trade networks, for their wealth. As their numbers increase through linkages between the Muslim and Western world with the help of innovative initiatives like Islamic banking, the momentum for capitalist values like free and uninterrupted commerce should pick up in countries suffering from the compounding problems of rising populations and falling standards of living. Ultimately, Nasr argues, a surge of indigenous capitalists can lower instances in which the government of a Muslim country places itself at the center of the economy at the cost of isolating its people from opportunities in the global economy. Thus, by reintroducing social mobility and restoring hope in the future, extremism will lose its appeal. – YaleGlobal