Book Talk: Islam, Securitization, and US Foreign Policy

27 Apr 2022

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Islam has been an issue of discussion in U.S. politics. How do we talk about Islam, its place and relationship within the context of U.S. security? How does the language we use to describe Islam influence the way we imagine it? How is Islam constructed as a security issue? These and similar questions will be discussed in this event.

Different issues are securitized at different levels, and Islam, like communism, was securitized on a global level that is called the “systematic securitization”, which is a longer campaign that involves many more actors. American politics had once securitized communism, race, WMD, and now Islam. This securitization is done through the association of Islam with security words in speeches of foreign policy and national security. This event discusses U.S. foreign policy, international security studies, democracy promotion, the war on terror, and Islam. Not only does discourse have a big effect on foreign policy but also on the country’s image abroad. The analysis of how Islam was securitized shows how discourse can polarize the globe, determine policies, and affect international security.

Speaker:

Erdoan A. Shipoli has a PhD in Political Science and International Relations and is a sponsored university associate at the Alwaleed Bin Talal Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding in the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University. His most recent book is Islam, Securitization, and U.S. Foreign Policy (Palgrave Macmillan, 2018) focusing on democracy promotion, Islam becoming a security issue for the U.S., and the consequences. He was a co-founder and leader of multiple internationally-recognized organizations and institutes, such as the Istanbul Leadership Institute, Lobbying School, and North American Professionals and Entrepreneurs Network (recognized by Forbes). He is also the Program Director of the Federation of Balkan American Associates (FEBA), an organization that works with Balkan American youth. Erdoan is the author of International Securitization: The Case of Kosovo (LAP Lambert, 2019) and numerous articles and presentations at international conferences

Event Date: 
Wednesday, April 27, 2022 - 2:00pm to 3:30pm
Institution(s): 
Location: 
Online