In The News

Ilm by Rote

Sanjay Suri August 10, 2005
When Muslim students are released from British public schools in the afternoon, they quickly head home and change into their religious garb in preparation for their second school – the madrassa. With close to a thousand madrassas across the country, an overwhelming number of Muslim children in Britain are receiving a strong Islamic education in their evening schools. The children are required...

Iran Vows New Steps to Enrich Uranium

Thomas Fuller August 10, 2005
Iran has announced its intention to break the remaining seals on uranium-converting equipment at the Isfahan nuclear facility. The decision comes shortly after its government rejected a package of incentives offered by Europe to curtail nuclear activity. In the developing world, there appears to be more sympathy for Iran's cause. On Tuesday, led by Malaysia, developing countries of the...

The Web as Weapon

Susan B. Glasser August 9, 2005
Islamic militants are often perceived as having an "anti-modernity" platform. Yet certain terrorist leaders are placing an increasing importance on the control and dissemination of information related to their activities. As a result, the internet has emerged as a vital tool of terrorism, creating a union between technology and fundamentalism. More than anyone, Abu Musab Zarqawi, the...

Is Nuclear Diplomacy with the Mullahs Possible?

August 8, 2005
After calling an agreement drafted by European officials "unacceptable," Iran has announced its plans to resume uranium enrichment activities. Despite Tehran's claims that its nuclear program is for civilian purposes only, the general consensus is that Iran is building a bomb. If the nation succeeds in developing nuclear arms, the power structure in the Middle East would be...

Terrorists Turn to the Web as Base of Operations

Steven Coll August 8, 2005
When Osama bin Laden and other al-Qaida operatives were hiding out in Afghanistan in the 1990s, they were one of the first to adapt to the new technologies of globalization, communicating via commercial satellite telephones and producing video propaganda with hand-held cameras. Today, nearly four years after the 9/11 attacks, al-Qaida has become the first guerilla movement in history to "...

Bush's UN Agenda Is Well Under Way

Steven R. Weisman August 2, 2005
President Bush's decision to appoint John Bolton to the post of UN Ambassador during the US Senate's recess sparked ire among those who see the appointment as a sign of the administration's disdain for the UN. But these objections may be moot: Bush's plan for UN reform was in the works prior to yesterday's appointment, and is already close to fruition. Highlights of the...

Mixed Signals

Rehab Saad August 1, 2005
In response to the recent Sharm El-Sheikh bombings, which have the potential to devastate Egypt's lucrative tourist industry, authorities are encouraging people to view the attacks in a global perspective. Egyptian tourism officials suggest that due to the globalization of terrorism, no single place is more dangerous than any other. But is this truly the case? And with the inability to...