In The News

A New Battlefield in Thailand

Bertil Lintner November 24, 2004
The beheading of a Buddhist village leader in Thailand's Muslim-dominated south has provoked worry across Southeast Asia. The murder committed by the Islamic separatists was believed to be in response to the deaths of 84 Muslims at the hands of Thai authorities. Although the level of violence is new, the conflict has a long history. In 1832, Thailand annexed the independent Muslim...

The NU Convention and Nonconventional Islam

Rizqon Khamami November 24, 2004
Throughout Indonesian history, Islam emerged with a unique eclecticism differing from that of Arab lands. In recent years, however, political Islam has been on the march, with violent consequences for the world's most populous Muslim country. Indonesia's largest Islamic organization, Nehdlatul Ulama (NU), now prepares for a crucial meeting regarding the interpretation of shariah,...

Bridging the Mediterranean

Ayman El-Amir November 15, 2004
The Euro-Mediterranean region has historically been a culturally diverse area with European, African, and Middle Eastern influences. The Byzantine, Roman, and Prussian empires have all taken foot-hold in this region, creating a cycle of "conquest, counter-conquest, competition, and colonialism," according to the Al-Ahram Weekly. When the Arabs extended their regional influence, they...

French Attack Sparks Riots in Ivory Coast

Rory Carroll November 8, 2004
Even after attaining independence from French colonial control, many West African states maintain strong and sometimes dependent relationships with their former imperial rulers. The Ivory Coast is no exception. Since the 2002 outbreak of civil war, the French military has policed a delicate ceasefire between the two sides. Last week, Ivorian president Laurent Gbagbo broke the ceasefire by bombing...

US Election and the World – Part I

Patrice de Beer November 8, 2004
What happens in the United States inevitably affects all areas of the globe; nowhere is this clearer than in the selection of the leader of the world's only superpower. In the aftermath of the greatly anticipated US elections, observers worldwide are assessing the consequences of George W. Bush's re-election. In a multi-part series, YaleGlobal checks in with different regions, gauging...

Images and Tasks: Before and After the US Election

Rami G. Khouri November 3, 2004
The outcome of the US presidential election overshadows some of the very real conflicts facing the United States in the Middle East. The author suggests that the challenges to future US foreign policy are mounting, and need to be addressed well – and quickly. The current situation is polarized to a fault, he writes, with civil discourse on both sides hijacked, in a sense, by small groups in...

Globalization and Anti-Americanism

Joseph S. Nye October 21, 2004
As nations feel culturally threatened by globalization, anti-Americanism grows. Yet it is modernization - not Americanization - that is changing cultures, argues former US Assistant Secretary of Defense Joseph Nye. Cultures are not stagnant, and the adaptation of Japan demonstrates that countries can modernize while remaining unique. Although t-shirt logos and soft drink brands may grow more...