History Versus Policy

What did President Obama mean when he said the following:

"We meet at a time of great tension between the United States and Muslims around the world -- tension rooted in historical forces that go beyond any current policy debate."

What historical forces? True, the rest of the paragraph is about "centuries" of history but that only makes sense if one shifts from Muslims and the US to Muslims and the West because, yes, Western Europe has had a long relationship with Muslims. Or did he mean some forces beyond the control of any one leader or country? Swept along by the generic tide of history?

Moreover, it seems to me much of the debate is precisely about policy: the U.S.-Israeli relationship, two states, how to curtail nuclear proliferation, Afghanistan & Iraq, and how to fight violent extremists.

Also noted as an aside: Obama's total rhetorical move away from terrorism and the global war on terrorism in the speech. Thus, Obama shifting back from US vs. all terrorists with global reach to US vs. al-Qaeda and Taliban.