The incorporation of the principle and practice of forgiveness into interstate conflict resolution programs is a cross-cultural sticking point between Arab/Muslim and Western discourse and practices. Some Western scholars adamantly reject the principle and practice at the higher levels, while most Arab/ Muslim scholars embrace forgiveness at all levels of conflict resolution. Our research contradicts the Western tendency of rejecting the inclusion of forgiveness utilizing a convenience sample of laypersons from the United States and Iraq to demonstrate that the principle and practice is accepted by both samples when resolving conflict between 2 countries. Our findings are theoretically important as they demonstrate both openness to, and cross-cultural comparability in this context.
Newly inaugurated President and Nobel Peace Prize winner Barack Obama made his diplomatic debut promoting conflict transformation between the United States and the international Muslim community following eight years of U.S. militarized intervention in the Middle East. Since Obama demonstrated an acute knowledge of its necessity and the mechanisms for transforming the quality of relations, we evaluate whether his actions were consistent with his message. This article first maps the conflict relationship by examining public opinion to identify the roots of the bilateral conflict relationship. It then identifies mechanisms and policies implemented by Barack Obama to determine when and if they aligned with his conciliatory rhetoric. We determine that Obama's legacy among the international Muslim community will be one of opportunity lost, as his administration ultimately failed to operationalize and institutionalize the promised program likely due to domestic and regional influences.
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