The Foreign Service Journal, October 2006

agenda, as in Bangladesh, need to be seen in a different light than those who have a transnational agenda.” Instead of seeing manifestations of Islamism as evidence of an ineluc- table transnational “green tide,” Riaz argues for a focus on national partic- ularities. He then describes how Bangla- desh’s Islamist forces are inherently linked to local conditions and national characteristics. “It is the specific dynamics of domestic politics that allowed the pre-eminence of Islamic forces in politics and their successes in the electoral process,” he writes. Citing Islamist-backed attacks on reli- gious minorities, women, the press, NGOs, artists and intellectuals there, Riaz vividly illustrates how Islamism threatens democratic liberalism and pluralism — the very freedoms and social relations that empower democ- racy with popular vitality. God Willing describes how Islam- ism can emerge “as a legitimate political force through democratic means,” but warns: “In the event of the collapse of a hegemonic ideology and a hegemonic order, if a strong secular alternative fails to assert itself, religion as a political ideology fills the void.” Riaz supplements his central analysis of Bangladesh with a compar- ative discussion of Pakistan and Indonesia. Through analysis of these Muslim states, he portrays a growing dichotomy between substantive and formal democracy. A substantive democracy is characterized by politi- cal freedoms, legal rights and a vibrant civil society; formal democra- cy is more focused on electoral processes and institutions of repre- sentative government. Clearly, part of our challenge as U.S. diplomats is advancing both of these aspects of democracy. Democratic competition can unleash destructive sociopolitical forces (such as Islamism) that the state or civil society may be unwill- ing or unable to mitigate. However, agents of Islamism do not always oppose democracy per se. Combin- ing both religion and democracy as a means to power, Islamists may instead seek to change the very def- inition of democracy. Relevant for those working on any Muslim-majority country, this book serves as a contextual manual for understanding the inherent ten- sions within our mission of creating a more secure, democratic and pros- perous world. Two practical sugges- tions for readers: start by reading the final chapter and appendices before reading the introduction. In addi- tion, the 2002 film “Matir Moina” (The Clay Bird) by Tareque Masud provides a rich background for understanding Riaz’s analysis of Bangladesh. Prior to joining the Foreign Service in 2005, Kapil Gupta was a country director for Afghanistan in the Office of the Secretary of Defense. He is currently a vice consul in Dhaka. 86 F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L / O C T O B E R 2 0 0 6 B O O K S Far from rejecting democracy as a means to power, Islamists may seek to change the very definition of the term.