In The News

The Arab Rising – Part II

Jamsheed K. Choksy, Carol E. B. Choksy February 4, 2011
Anger rages in Egypt, Jordan, Yemen and throughout the Middle East. Protesters plead for international support in their demands for democracy and economic reforms, and this YaleGlobal series examines the implications of the Arab upsurge. Iran, long intent on promoting Islamic governance throughout the Middle East, has been swift to grab the opportunity offered by the turmoil, explain Jamsheed K....

Christians of the Levant on the Brink of Extinction

May Akl December 10, 2010
Christianity emerged in the Middle East some 2000 years ago, spreading rapidly throughout the Levant countries along the Mediterranean, then beyond, to become a global force. But in the Middle East, the numbers of Christians dwindle, with rights of Levant Christians trampled since the 2003 invasion of Iraq by the US and its allies, explains May Akl, 2010 Yale University World Fellow and...

Bangladesh, “Basket Case” No More

Sadanand Dhume October 5, 2010
With the 1947 end of British colonial rule in India, Muslim-majority territories were created as a separate state, broken into East and West Pakistan. The eastern wing, more than 1000 kilometers from the west, pursued autonomy. At the end of a bloody war of resistance backed by Indian independents, Bangladesh emerged in 1971. Since then, the nation has pursued economic development, forswearing...

Why Do Terrorists Blow Themselves Up?

Riaz Hassan September 9, 2010
Nine years after the September 11 attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, the world shares a perception that suicide attacks are unusual acts committed by the poor, the psychologically impaired, the morally deficient, the uneducated or the religious fanatics. Yet analysis of more than 1500 suicide attacks between 1981 and 2008 by author Riaz Hassan reveals far more complex motivations...

Petraeus Condemns US Church's Plan to Burn Korans

Julian E. Barnes, Matthew Rosenberg September 7, 2010
If one needed an example of the world’s interconnectedness and the internet’s ability to empower individuals, the story of a tiny church in Florida will do. The church’s plans to burn Korans on the anniversary of the September 11th attacks captured the world’s attention and, most surprisingly, that of the US commander of international forces in Afghanistan. US military leaders typically refrain...

Shariah in Aceh: Eroding Indonesia’s Secular Freedoms

Dewi Kurniawati August 26, 2010
Indonesia has a secular constitution, but in 2003 gave a nod to the Aceh province adopting partial sharia law, supposedly an attempt to stem recruiting by a rebel movement. This separate set of laws, often targeting the poor and women, discourages tourism and economic development. Hard-line groups intent on gaining power in other provinces press for similar laws. Though scholars still debate what...

Manhattan Project: The Great Mosque Divide

Sadanand Dhume August 24, 2010
A proposal to build an Islamic center two blocks away from the target of the 9/11 attacks steadily moved through New York City’s planning process, meeting regulations and winning approval each step of the way. The World Trade Center attacks united the United States for a short while, whereas almost nine years later, the center and plan to “build bridges” raise another in a long line of issues...