The first step towards winning the clash of civilizations is to understand how the other side is waging it, and to rid ourselves of the One World illusion.

When President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad emerged from seemingly nowhere to capture the Iranian presidency in 2005, American officials were dumbfounded. Whereas his predecessor, Mohammad Khatami, sought to assuage the West with talk of ‘dialogue of civilizations’, Ahmadinejad was crude and coarse.

Ayaan Hirsi Ali, author of the international bestseller Infidel, discussed her book, Nomad (Free Press, May 2010).

Editor's Note: FMSO’s Operational Environment Watch provides translated selections and analysis from a diverse range of foreign articles and other media that analysts and expert contributors believe will give military and security experts an added dimension to their ...

In this generation, vast changes are likely to sweep through the Muslim world, as the peoples of Muslim nations demand liberty and prosperity, and seek to regain their place as leaders among the nations of the civilized world.

Any serious candidate should explain which strategies they will employ not only to bring Iran to the table, but to raise the cost of defiance beyond Tehran’s tolerance.