"I don't know if they turned a blind eye; I think it was a decision, a wilful decision."—Mike Flynn We are joined once again by the lawyer and university lecturer Adeyinka Makinde for the first instalment of a two-part interview centring in his recent article, "The Pan-Islamic Option : The West's Part in the Creation and Sustaining of Islamist Terror". In this first part we discuss indications in recent years of the West's use and support of violent Islamist groups for the purposes of advancing geopolitical goals, with reference to speeches, interviews and emails associated with people in high office, and position papers by influential think tanks. Adeyinka Makinde trained for the law as a barrister. He lectures in criminal law and public law at a university in London, and has an academic research interest in intelligence & security matters. He is a contributor to a number of websites for which he has written essays and commentaries on international relations, politics and military history. He has served as a programme consultant and provided expert commentary for BBC World Service Radio, China Radio International and the Voice of Russia. (For show notes please visit http://themindrenewed.com)