The article “US Policy towards Political Islam” by Stephen Zunes is a widely researched topic. His depictions of a greedy, judgmental America are accurate and relevant. While there are numerous helpful suggestions that might have created less hostility from our eastern counterparts, it is neither logical nor possible to say that lifting these sanctions would have changed the outcome of the past decade. What can be said about these ideas is that following a more honest approach to politics through US policies would have given America much-needed transparency. Many extremist groups are founded on hatred of America's failings, such as our tendency to conquer their lands with military force to exploit the earth's natural resources. In short, this essay was missing an important component regarding our occupation in the Middle East: money. Stephen Zunes has taken a rather idealized approach to our foreign policy. Even before the events of September 11, our interest in foreign oil was known. You just mentioned that the Middle East has the oil that our nation so desperately depends on. Whoever controls the flow of oil controls much of the world economy. This article is a good start, or even a foreign policy outline regarding the Middle East, but it fails to connect the financial dots. To make a real difference in how our Muslim friends view us, we must enact a clause promising that America will not attempt to seize any of the natural resources that belong to the country of military occupation. Of course America would not be so bold as to bring T. Boone Pickens into Iraq and begin drilling, but something like a backroom "deal" with a newly democratic Iraq to provide the United States with a percentage of any... ...half of paper ...... about why American children can't read maps. While it is impossible to create a completely aware and culturally sensitive generation, we can eliminate a tremendous amount of misplaced ill will towards those from different cultures and religions. Results can be made possible, but we will never know the true value of ideas until they are put into action. Let's stop thinking and start doing what needs to be done to create a more globally aware culture that accepts differences as resources rather than obstacles. Works Cited Lippman, Thomas W. Understanding Islam: An Introduction to the Muslim World. 3rd ed. New York: The Penguin Group, 2002. Print.Symon, Fiona. "Jerusalem: Crucible of Conflict." BBC News 4 December 2001. Web. 5 June 2010. Zune, Stephen. "United States Policy Toward Islam." Foreign Policy in Focus 6.24 (2001): 1-4. Network. June 3 2010.