[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 63 (Thursday, May 19, 1994)]
[Senate]
[Page S]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: May 19, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
            APPLAUD ADMINISTRATION'S REALISTIC VIEW OF ISLAM

 Mr. DeCONCINI. Mr. President, I was very encouraged by 
National Security Advisor Tony Lake's articulation, on May 18, of a new 
U.S. approach to Islamic movements around the globe. In the wake of 
communism's worldwide retreat, efforts by some to pose Islam as the new 
nemesis fail to recognize that the vastly different character of 
various fundamentalist movements, some of which reflect widely held 
beliefs which have been expressed democratically. U.S. policymakers 
have too often distanced themselves from Islamic groups wrongly 
perceived as being susceptible to anti-Western revolutionary fervor 
associated with Iranian Shiites.
  Mr. President, the world has become much more complicated and 
dangerous since the end of the cold war, and U.S. foreign policymakers 
face unprecedented challenges to respond accordingly. Innovative new 
approaches are necessary, and I believe this new tack is a good example 
of new thinking which has to become part of our evolving world view. I 
commend the President and his National Security Advisor for their 
courage in articulating a policy which is likely to spark controversy. 
I believe this policy will give the United States far greater influence 
in important regions where the U.S. was previously dismissed as the 
``Great Satan.''

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