Senator Christopher “Kit” Bond is now an author, having co-written a book on the importance of America working with Muslims in Southeast Asia. Bond, who has spent a good deal of time talking with elected officials and others in that part of the world, appeared on CSPAN to promote “The Next Front: Southeast Asia & the Road to Global Peace with Islam,” which is co-authored by Lewis Simons.
Bond says it is important to spread America’s influence in Indonesia and other Muslim areas of Southeast Asia through business opportunities – not through force.
“Smart power is the only way to reach out to Muslim countries, to convince them that the United States is not their enemy, to show them that we want to work with them on a broad range of issues, creating more jobs, building schools, teaching them, providing them better means in agriculture and providing investments that will help their economies grow and get people employed,” said Bond during his CSPAN interview.
Bond is convinced that opening doors to economic prosperity holds the key to convincing Southeast Asian Muslims that America wants to be a friend. He says the use of military force doesn’t really work.
