Ottoman Algeria in Western Diplomatic History with ... - Bibliothèque

Instead of mere threats that were met, and have to be met, with the
appropriate solution, which according to the American point of view resides in
the forceful use of military power, one may rather consider the confrontation
between the United States and Muslims—past and present—as part of a wider
clash between two differing civilizations: an oriental Muslim civilization and a
western Christian one. And until the Americans could bridge the gap between
the two by understanding and respect of the other’s religion, culture, and other
human dimensions, the clash would probably persist because it is fueled with
much prejudice, distortion, and ignorance. Much of the early clash with Algiers
precisely stemmed from American ignorance about Muslim culture and
traditions. More, American self-centeredness and aggressive inclinations seem
to have been at the origin of the clash. As the Americans forced the way to the
region armed with their own ideals and biased perceptions, bombastic
nationalism and arrogance, and insatiable interests and naval might they failed
to acknowledge its particularities and caused lasting damages.
C. METHODOLOGY AND SOURCES
This research work begins with a look into the religious and historical
background which then served as a crucible for the emergence of the practice
of corsairing as retaliatory warfare to counter Christian assaults against Algiers.
analogy was articulated earlier as may be seen in Richard Leiby, “Terrorists by another Name: The
Barbary Pirates,” Washington Post, 15 October 2001, p. C01 and Russell Kirk, “The New Barbary
Pirates,” Human Events, 27: 47 (Nov., 1967), p. 13 respectively. The analogy was taken to its
paroxysm in Joseph Wheelan, Jefferson’s War: America’s First War on Terror, 1801–1805 (New
York: Carroll & Graf, 2003) and Frederick Leiner, The End of Barbary Terror: America’s 1815 War
against the Pirates of North Africa (New York: Oxford University Press, 2006). Leiner went as far as
to consider corsairing as ‘state-sponsored terrorism.’
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