How to win the war on terror
By Fareed Zakaria Thursday, September 8, 2016 On the morning of Sept. 11, 2001, I was driving on the Long Island Expressway, heading out to a friend’s house to spend a few weeks working on a book. An hour into my drive, I switched from music to news and listened with horror to reports that … Continue reading
Saudi Arabia: The devil we know
By Fareed Zakaria Thursday, April 14, 2016 Should the United States cut its ties to Saudi Arabia? The question emerges amid fresh controversies and President Obama’s recent visit to the kingdom. I’ve been a critic of Saudi Arabia for decades, but despite all the problems, I think the United States is better off with the … Continue reading
Radical before they were religious
By Fareed Zakaria Thursday, March 31, 2016 The attacks in Brussels, on the heels of those in Paris and San Bernardino, Calif., have stoked an already white-hot debate about Islamic terrorism in the United States. Many in the West, including the two Republican presidential front-runners, Donald Trump and Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tex.), urge a campaign … Continue reading
Anti-Muslim rhetoric isn’t brave
By Fareed Zakaria Thursday, December 3, 2015 The most recent act of horrific violence in the United States — in San Bernardino, Calif. — was reportedly perpetrated by a Muslim man and woman. There are about 3 million Muslims in the United States, almost all of whom are law-abiding citizens. How should they react to … Continue reading
How to fight an ideological war
By Fareed Zakaria Thursday, February 26, 2015 AMMAN, Jordan — Washington is getting enthusiastic about an ideological war these days: not between Democrats and Republicans — that’s old news — but rather between Americans and radical Islam. Many of those who spent the past several weeks insisting that we label jihadi terrorists “Islamic” now urge … Continue reading
The limits of the ‘Islamic’ label
By Fareed Zakaria Thursday, February 19, 2015 President Obama stands accused of political correctness for his unwillingness to accuse groups such as the Islamic State of “Islamic extremism,” choosing a more generic term, “violent extremism.” His critics say that you cannot fight an enemy you will not name. Even his supporters feel that his approach … Continue reading
Blasphemy and the law of fanatics
By Fareed Zakaria January 8, 2015 As they went on their rampage, the men who killed 12 people in Paris this week yelled that they had “avenged the prophet.” They follow in the path of other terrorists who have bombed newspaper offices, stabbed a filmmaker and killed writers and translators, all to mete out what … Continue reading
Let’s be honest, Islam has a problem right now
By Fareed Zakaria When television host Bill Maher declares on his weekly show that “the Muslim world . . . has too much in common with ISIS ” and guest Sam Harris says that Islam is “the mother lode of bad ideas,” I understand why people are upset. Maher and Harris, an author, made crude simplifications and exaggerations. … Continue reading
Learning to Live With Radical Islam
We don’t have to accept the stoning of criminals. But it’s time to stop treating all Islamists as potential terrorists. By Fareed Zakaria Pakistan’s Swat valley is quiet once again. Often compared to Switzerland for its stunning landscape of mountains and meadows, Swat became a war zone over the past two years as Taliban fighters … Continue reading
Fareed Zakaria 