The frequent recourse to civilizational clashes between radical Muslims and the West is not surprising when one considers the individuals and ideologies influencing the Bush administration. In the aftermath of 9/11, prominent advisors to and members of the administration, many of whom were neoconservatives favoring an aggressive, interventionist foreign policy in the Middle East, looked to a certain cadre of like-minded academics and experts to provide explanations and to weigh in on strategies to deal with the terrorist attacks. One of these academics was Lewis, who, according to Bob Woodward of the Washington Post, was “a Cheney favorite.” Lewis was also a longtime friend of Paul Wolfowitz, deputy secretary of defense, and Richard Perle, chairman of the influential Defense Policy Board, both of whom were major architects of the Iraq War. Perle considered Lewis a mentor, and both Wolfowitz and Perle relied on Lewis’s insights in developing strategies for the response to 9/11, including the war in Iraq.

XREF: Connects to broader discussions of how academic/intellectual figures influence foreign policy decision-making. Pays off: "Bernard Lewis's ideas shaped US foreign policy toward Islam."

Green, Todd H, The Fear of Islam_ An Intro…, loc. 264