"Fighting Religious Radicalism in a Secular Age"
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Dr. Herbert London, President, The Hudson Institute, Washington D.C. & New York
1pm, 23rd September 2008
Thatcher Room, Portcullis House, House of Commons
The increasing spread of Radical Islamic ideas across the world suggests that the West may be in danger of losing this pivotal war. Indeed, the targeted radicalisation of young British Muslims in recent years is a worrying development, and one that looks set to disturb the social fabric of Britain and other Western nations in the coming years. While local Muslim communities should continue to play the critical role in countering the appeal of Radical Islam to susceptible individuals, it is the responsibility of the wider Western world to also ensure that the values of freedom and democracy that we have come to rely upon are shored up and supported.
Dr Herbert London' s most recent publication, America's Secular Challenge: The Rise of a New National Religion, suggests provocatively that the rise of secularisation has rendered the United States and the West impotent in response to the challenge posed by the fanaticism of Radical Islam. In his analysis, the very nature of secularisation and secular humanist values have handicapped our ability to counter this threat. By stating that "If you don't know what you believe in, you are unable to defend what is worthwhile", his approach suggests that we must firstly comprehend our own identity before we can consider identifying and countering the threats to our way of life. So, given this viewpoint, how should the West identify a roadmap focusing on achieving a sense of unity and collective strength in order to counter radicalism? And with the US elections fast approaching, what has been the record of the Bush administration in this field and can we expect an Obama or McCain presidency to steer America's social values in an experimental approach to countering extremism?
By kind invitation of Nadine Dorries MP, the Henry Jackson Society is pleased to be able to invite you to a discussion with Dr Herbert London, President of the Hudson Institute, Washington DC and New York, to address these questions and discuss both the demands and global expectations that the next US administration and the West will face if they are to successfully counter the global threat from extremism.
DATE: Tuesday 23rd September 2008
TIME: 1pm
VENUE: Thatcher Room, Portcullis House, House of Commons, London
To attend, please RSVP to alexandra.goody@henryjacksonsociety.org
Dr. Herbert London is the President of the Hudson Institute, a world renowned think tank in Washington D.C. As one of America's leading social and political commentators he has written for nearly every major newspaper and journal in the U.S, including the New York Times and Washington Post. Dr London has also been a guest lecturer on several major radio and television news programmes both at colleges and universities, and has also appeared as co-host on the popular CNN programme, "Crossfire." He is the former chairman of the National Association of Scholars and a contributing editor for the St. Croix Review and the American Arts Quarterly. He is a Professor Emeritus of New York University and is currently a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, the International Institute of Strategic Studies as well as holding many other prominent roles.
Dr London was the Republican Candidate for the Mayor of New York in 1989. In 1990 he was the Conservative Party Candidate for Governor of New York gaining more votes than any third party candidate in the state's history. In 1994 he was the Republican Party candidate for New York State Comptroller only losing by a narrow margin in a close election.