Hijacking the Caliphate

Submitted by David B. Hattis (United States), Feb 8, 2006 at 13:00

There is evidence that the yearning for the caliphate is a widespread aspiration in the general world of Islam, much like the two-millennia Jewish yearning "next year in Jerusalem".

Is it not a strategic mistake for the United States to allow al'Quaida to hijack the yearning as its own?

Instead of Secretary Rumsfeld comparing the yearning for the caliphate to Mein Kampf, as he did a few days ago, should not strategic thinkers and foreign policy experts be spending time and effort to figure out how to support the establishment of a modern, 21st century, democratic, perhaps federal caliphate?

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