Islamists and the Global Order

Studies the ways in which Islamists engage with, rather than fight, the Western-dominated global order

• Critically re-evaluates the prevalent assumption of Islamists rejecting or opposing the Western-dominated world order
• Introduces a discursive lens to comprehend the complex dynamics of world order, offering a nuanced perspective on how Islamists intricately navigate, challenge, and aspire to reshape the contours of a global order under Western hegemony
• Meticulously examines the positioning of Tunisian Ennahda and Lebanese Hezbollah amidst recognition of and resistance against specific aspects of a Western-dominated world order
• Analyses key dimensions of the world order discourse, including sovereignty, legitimacy, and teloi of global order

This book presents a thought-provoking challenge to the commonly held belief that Islamists uniformly reject the Western-dominated world order. In the wake of George W. Bush's declaration of a "global war on terror" in 2001, Islamists have often been associated with violence, opposition to liberal values, and the disruption of order. However, a closer examination reveals that only a fraction of the groups categorised as "Islamist" genuinely combat the global order. Through an in-depth analysis of the discourses of Tunisian Ennahda and Lebanese Hezbollah, this book demonstrates that Islamist stances toward the world order involve a delicate balance between resistance to certain aspects of the Western-dominated order and recognition of others.