Obama: No More “Crusade”

Seeking to end the perception of a clash of civilizations between the Western and Muslim worlds, President Obama said today in Turkey that the U.S. "is not, and will never be, at war with Islam." According to the Los Angeles Times, the speech was well-received by the Turkish parliament and was closely watched throughout the Middle East. Obama's call for re-engagement with the Muslim world is a stark difference from the Bush era; at one point in 2001 the former president received much criticism for saying "this crusade, this war on terrorism, is going to take awhile." Obama also curried favor in the region by advocating for Turkey to be allowed to join the European Union, in spite of criticism from European leaders.