In The News

Asian Games: New Gold Standard in Measuring National Will

Sadanand Dhume January 25, 2007
Sport is an age-old metaphor for politics – and Asian affairs analyst Sadanand Dhume looks at the Asian Games in the light of the region's traditional rivalries. China captured more medals than any other nation, almost three times as many gold medals as runner-up South Korea. China’s geopolitical rival India was ranked eighth, with most of its medals won in more intricate, intellectual games...

Music Marches to Globalization’s Drum

Richard Boursy January 18, 2007
Music is an integral part of human history and culture, and it’s no surprise that cultural globalization has shaped the evolution of music. Neither is this phenomenon new: For centuries, musicians have sought to evoke distant and exotic locales and adapted musical instruments and notes from afar. European colonialists entertained themselves with adaptations of music from Africa and Asia and the...

Mirror, Mirror on the Web

Lakshmi Chaudhry January 17, 2007
From toddlers who recite the capital cities of every state or play classical music to teens who promote their charity fundraisers or analysis of globalization, anyone can pursue fame on internet sites like youtube.com. The site allows anyone with access to a digital video camera to critique the world’s most famous actors, journalists, musicians or politicians - and display his or her own skills...

Let's Burn the Burqa

Taslima Nasrin January 17, 2007
Women wear burqas to conceal their faces and bodies from public view. Writer Taslima Nasrin reviews the history and many theories offered about the personal and social motives behind the concealment: The burqa may constrain sexual reactions from other people, or women may simply want privacy, refusing to endure any stares. Some opponents argue that the burqa reduces women to the status of sexual...

Celebrate Koran Oath as an All-American Moment

James Zogby January 5, 2007
Critics lashed out at one US congressman’s decision to use the Koran rather than a Bible for taking his oath for office. Some critics said Keith Ellison’s decision to use the Koran “undermines American civilization.” Indeed, most members of Congress don’t use any book at all. Ellison’s decision to use a Koran that belonged to Thomas Jefferson – author of the Declaration of Independence, the third...

Erosion of English Skills Threatens Growth in the Philippines

Carlos Conde December 29, 2006
Lawmakers in the Philippines have passed a law making English the primary language of instruction from high school onward, reversing a trend that encouraged instruction in native languages. About 95 percent of Filipinos speak English, but call centers and other business run by foreign firms impose high standards. English skills declined rapidly after a 1987 law required bilingual education to...

Iraq War Fuels Global Jihad

Fawaz A. Gerges December 21, 2006
Muslims initially condemned Al Qaeda’s 2001 attacks on the US. But then the US invaded Iraq, triggering chaos that could overwhelm more than one country throughout the Middle East. As a result, even more moderate Muslims support anyone who defends Muslim lands and values against occupiers, particularly in Palestine and Iraq. Jihadists emerged during the early 1980s, opposed to Egypt and Israel...