In The News

Islam, Terror and the Second Nuclear Age

Noah Feldman November 1, 2006
Iran’s defiance over international demands that it stop nuclear research could galvanize Shiites to demand more power throughout Asia, leading to nuclear proliferation on the continent. With violence escalating between Sunnis and Shiites in Iraq, author Noah Feldman ponders how the competing sects might handle a nuclear weapon in their midst. Nuclear weapons have less meaning as deterrents in...

Silence Is a Decree All Should Fear

Umberto Eco October 30, 2006
People increasingly fear posing questions about other cultures or engaging in criticism. Religious fundamentalists are not the only culprits, according to writer Umberto Eco. He also criticizes Western cultures that promote political correctness for stirring fear about free speech. Eco warns that outrage about every gaffe and a growing culture of silence will mask history, polarize those with...

Bush Signs Fence Bill, Pushes Back

Nicole Gaouette October 27, 2006
President George Bush signed a bill that authorizes 700 miles of fence but does not cover costs. Critics on all sides questioned whether the bill may have been designed to shore up support for candidates favored by the president in the upcoming November 7 US congressional elections. Both Mexico’s president and president-elect lashed out against the plan, calling it an “embarrassment” for the US...

Kremlin Puts Foreign NGO’s on Notice

C.J. Chivers October 24, 2006
The Russian government stopped operations of foreign non-profit organizations operating in Russia, such as Amnesty International, while reviewing bureaucratic registrations required under a new law. For now, the bureaucratic process, combined with closures and described as temporary, has quieted normally vocal non-government organization spokespeople. The closures, according to the “New York...

Way Radical, Dude

Jose Antonio Vargas October 20, 2006
Radical Islamic organizations have developed video games that aim to kill US President Bush or rescue Iranian nuclear scientists from US Special Forces. For some Middle Easterners, the new games are a response to US Defense Department games that depict Muslims as military targets. But the Army Game Project denies that it focuses on any particular people or region. The free video games produced in...

Social Networking Sites Keep Their Local Flavor as They Go Global

James Shih October 18, 2006
Internet social-networking sites pop up regionally, but quickly gather members around the globe. Sites like MySpace and Facebook started the online friendship-tracking trend in the US, and similar sites have emerged in South Korea, Australia, Germany and elsewhere. Regional online sites can quickly acquire global stature, analysts suggest. "The majority of large Internet companies in the US...

A Clash of Civilizations in Europe?

Patrick Sabatier October 17, 2006
Secular Europe and some of its Muslims citizens continue to clash – not in direct battle but over cartoons, operas, newspaper essays and school customs. The clashes are a product of a globalized media system, according to French journalist Patrick Sabatier, with instant information about any perceived slight to faith over satellite television or internet obscuring complex issues and provoking...