In The News

Waiting for the Other Shoe to Drop: How Inevitable Is an Islamist Future?

Cameron Brown August 15, 2006
Since the 1979 Iranian Revolution, observers have anticipated the next big Islamist takeover. Analyzing attempts at power grabs and current trends, Cameron Brown concludes that, in fact, democracy is proving the most effective way for Islamist groups to take control of state apparatus. For now, Islamist parties are the major opposition party in many states throughout the Middle East, and Brown...

Europe's Muslims: Economic Worries Top Concerns About Identity

August 11, 2006
Muslims and non-Muslims alike in the UK share worries about growing Islamic extremism, even though European Muslims as a whole tend to favor moderate Islam, according to a spring 2006 poll on immigration and identity, conducted by the Pew Research Foundation. The results follow a year that included bombings in London and Madrid and the riots sparked by Danish cartoons, but were released before...

The War We Must Win, The War of Values

Tony Blair August 4, 2006
Moderation, stability and peace are still possible in the Middle East, argues Tony Blair, the British prime minister. “An arc of extremism” has invaded the region, and global conflict is said to rage at several levels: between West and East, between radical Islamists and moderate Muslims; between democratic and despotic governance. Values that inspire citizens to solve major problems can unite...

Boosting Extremists With Bombs

Dilip Hiro July 25, 2006
Israel’s air strikes on Southern Lebanon boost support for Hezbollah in the Arab world, as many lose faith in already struggling Arab democracies. Outlining the history of Hezbollah in a region prone to setbacks and violence, Middle East analyst and author Dilip Hiro predicts that the present fighting paves the way for more Arab rulers to resort to repressive measures in order to control dissent...

The Taliban’s Silent Partner

Robert D. Kaplan July 21, 2006
While the Afghan government, led by US-backed President Hamid Karzai, controls the country’s major cities, the countryside remains subject to Taliban infiltration. Over 75 percent of Afghanistan’s population lives in rural villages. Thus, using Pakistan as a rear base, Taliban units provide security and other concrete needs to villagers that the government fails to deliver. Pakistani President...

Even Statelessness Goes Better With Coke. Or Does It?

Marc Lacey July 19, 2006
In 2004, local investors – carefully chosen to represent the various clans of Somalia – opened a Coca-Cola bottling plant in the capital city of Mogadishu. Since then, Islamic militias have taken control of the government, and Somalia’s investment scene has changed substantially for those who want to sell an American brand of soda. The militias brought unprecedented levels of security, greatly...

Militia Rebuked by Some Arab Countries

Hassan M. Fattah July 17, 2006
Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Jordan publicly denounced Hezbollah’s escalating violence against Israel, despite the popular anti-Israeli sentiment in their respective countries. While many countries from the Group of 8 Conference, or G-8, in St. Petersburg urge Israel to exercise restraint in carrying out surmounting air strikes on Lebanon and Gaza, Prince Saud al-Faisal of Saudi Arabia calls...