In the Wake of Tragedy, Understanding

The Brookings’ Project on U.S. Relations with the Islamic World was launched in the wake of the September 11th attacks. Its goal was the development of research and outreach programs designed to improve U.S. relations with Muslim states and communities. A particular challenge in that moment of tension and frustration was the virtual absence of dialogue between leaders of the United States and the Muslim world.

With the generous support of the Government of Qatar, the Brookings Project on U.S. Relations with the Islamic World launched the first U.S.-Islamic World Forum in 2004. The purpose was to promote a better understanding of the problems involved in U.S. relations with the Islamic world, through the creation of an ongoing and collaborative dialogue between Muslim and American leaders. At that first session, 165 leaders from the United States and 37 Muslim states – from government ministers to news editors – gathered to discuss topics from the Middle East peace process to private-sector entrepreneurship and new Internet media.

The Forum’s renown has grown in the intervening years. Today it is recognized as the premier annual conference of its kind. Past participants have included President Bill Clinton; Secretary of State Hillary Clinton; Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan of Turkey; Secretary of State Madeleine Albright; President Hamid Karzai of Afghanistan; Commander of the U.S. Central Command David Petraeus; the Grand Mufti of Bosnia-Herzegovina Dr. Mustafa Ceric; Secretary General of ASEAN Surin Pitsuwan; and Secretary General of the OIC Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu.

In this its eighth year, the Forum moves from Doha, Qatar to Washington, D.C. with the goal of enlarging participation by U.S.-based Muslim voices as well as U.S. policymakers and commentators. The mission of the Forum, however, remains constant regardless of location: to serve not only as a convening body but a catalyst for positive action. The focus goes beyond dialogue to developing actionable agendas for government, civil society, and the private sector.