In The News

Terrorism Undermines Political Islam in Indonesia

Endy M. Bayuni November 26, 2003
Although Indonesia has the world's largest Muslim population, Islamist political parties in the country have been unable to attract widespread support. Since the 1998 fall of the autocratic Suharto and the beginning of a transition to democracy, support for Islamist parties has not risen above sixteen percent, while their secular and pluralist rivals earn large majorities, writes Indonesian...

An Indigenous World

Moisés Naím November 25, 2003
Despite the spread of disease and exploitation, the rise of global forces has not been all bad for the estimated 350 million indigenous people around the world, says Foreign Policy editor Moises Naim. In fact, in can also empower them. Across Latin America, Naim says, "constitutional changes… have given indigenous peoples far more political advantages than ever before." Globalization...

America's Vulnerable Imperialism

Jonathan Schell November 24, 2003
'American imperialism' has become a common refrain for people seeking to understand the glue holding together the current international order. A variety of scholars and commentators claim authority on the topic, says author Jonathan Schell. But, he cautions, in their rush to proclaim the rise or decline of an American empire, they consistently overlook a crucial aspect of true empire...

Seeing the Funny Side of Islamic Law, and Not Seeing It

Neil MacFarquhar November 24, 2003
For the past 11 years, a Saudi television show has aired during the holy Muslim month of Ramadan that subtly and sometimes not-so-subtly pokes fun at the Saudi regime and the religious bureaucracy. Muslim leaders call the show religious blasphemy, while the show's avid viewers consider it a light-hearted portrayal of the truth of everyday life. A particularly controversial episode...

Crunch Time for Thai Fishing Fleet

November 22, 2003
Over the past 19 years, thousands of Thai fishing trawlers and fishermen have been arrested for poaching in the waters of other countries in the oceans off Thailand's coast. The introduction of the dragnet in 1960 allowed Thai fishermen to net large amounts of fish every hour. But the increased catches soon caused a depletion in supply, which forced trawlers further out from shore and into...

War on Terror's Collateral Damage

Ahmed Rashid November 21, 2003
Despite President Bush's call for democracy in the Middle East, his administration has strengthened military rulers by ignoring the domestic transgressions of those who cooperate in the terror fight, argues journalist and author Ahmed Rashid. Pakistan, where General Pervez Musharraf has held power since a 1999 coup, is a key US ally in the War on Terror. Inside the country, tensions between...

MEPs Vote to Support Stem Cell Research

Ian Black November 20, 2003
In a controversial decision, the European parliament decided on November 19 to permit EU funds to be spent on new stem cell research. Despite heavy lobbying from religious groups, the European parliament sided with medical researchers and patients' groups because they do not want Europe to risk falling behind in a lucrative area of biotechnology. Although Catholic countries such as Germany,...