U.S. Engagement with the Muslim World Project

The MIT-Harvard Public Disputes Program is working in partnership with Search for Common Ground-USA to develop a groundbreaking, interdisciplinary dialogue and consensus building process on U.S. Engagement with the Muslim world.

The project aims to stimulate a new national conversation that goes well beyond the current focus on short-term issues. Achieving this goal will require a major education and dialogue effort, involving a wide range of constituencies in creative ways at multiple levels, from the grassroots to national policy and opinion leaders.

At the core of this national conversation and consensus-building process will be a diverse, multigenerational group of respected and influential U.S. leaders, with substantial representation from the Muslim-American community. No other effort to date has attempted to pool the wisdom of respected leaders in diverse fields - national security, foreign policy, social sciences, religion, business, philosophy and others - to develop a shared understanding, catalyze national dialogue and promote action.

Over an eighteen month period, members of the Leadership Group will engage in dialogue with each other, and with leaders and publics in the U.S. and the Muslim world. Together, they will

* deepen public understanding of challenges and opportunities in our relationships with Muslim peoples, activists and governments;
* seek a Leadership Group consensus on key initiatives and strategic choices for improving U.S. engagement with the Muslim world;
* promote discussion and debate among American leaders and publics on the initiatives and choices recommended by the Leadership Group, leading to decisions and actions that improve U.S. relations with the Muslim world, while enhancing U.S. national security.

Initial funding for this project has been provided by Rockefeller Brothers Fund and a Leadership Summit to officially launch the project has been scheduled for January 2007. For more information, please contact PDP Associate Director David Fairman at dfairman@cbuilding.org.