In The News

As Yemen’s Government Falls, So May a US Strategy for Fighting Terror

Mark Thompson January 22, 2015
Any US effort to form ties in the Middle East is fraught with risk. The latest example is Yemen, whose president is a US ally in its efforts to subdue Islamic extremism. “Shiite Houthi rebels attacked the home of Yemen’s president as they rushed into the presidential palace in Sana’a, the Yemeni capital,” reported Mark Thompson for Time magazine. “Government officials said a coup against...

Charlie Hebdo Attack Spurs EU Anti-Terror Projects

January 20, 2015
The European Union seeks to partner with Muslim-majority nations on security and boost their Arabic language skills after the attacks in Paris. The plans – in response to attacks on newspaper offices and a Kosher grocery, both in Paris, leaving 17 dead – were announced after talks by 28 EU foreign ministers. Protest rallies condemning Charlie Hebdo cartoons were held in Chechnya, Palestine and...

Charlie Hebdo Attacks Stir Resolve and Contemplation

Stathis N. Kalyvas January 15, 2015
Terrorists hope to incite fear, panic and capitulation, but so far Europe is resisting such response after surprise attacks on the Paris offices of a satirical newspaper, Charlie Hebdo, and a Kosher grocery store. “And because they are so shocking, these attacks tempt those targeted into reacting in a kneejerk way, ultimately playing into the hands of the attackers and becoming self-fulfilling...

Terror Attacks Cannot Save Islam's “Honor”

Husain Haqqani January 13, 2015
Terror attacks in Europe and exaggerated threats on social media are not acts of courage or faith. “More important, terrorism is unlikely to dissuade anyone so inclined to refrain from insulting Islam, its prophet or Muslims,” writes Husain Haqqani, former Pakistan envoy to the United States, for the Times of India. Such attacks are not new, with Haqqani pointing to the 1929 murder of a Hindu...

Je Suis Charlie: Stand Together in the Face of Violence

Stefan Kuzmany January 9, 2015
The offices of Charlie Hebdo were attacked by three men with assault rifles, leaving 12 dead, including staff members and two police officers, one of those a Muslim. The suspects include two extremists, brothers raised in France as orphans. A horrific act by a few does not mean that provocative art practiced by publications like Charlie Hebdo is stupid or wrong, that Muslims are evil, as some...

What Is Behind Europe's Rising Islamophobia?

Alexander Görlach January 7, 2015
Europe has long been viewed as a beacon for human rights, though a few extremists – whether Islamophobes or jihadists – seem intent on wrecking that reputation. European nations are seeing a surge in nationalism and extremism, against a backdrop of arson attacks on mosques and a chilling terrorist attack today on a satirical newspaper in France leaving 12 people dead. Alexander Görlach writes...

Sony Fights Against Hackers, Who Threaten Violence at Theaters Playing “The Interview”

Cecilia Kang, Andrea Peterson and Ellen Nakashima December 22, 2014
Hackers, yet unknown, exposed embarrassing, confidential and protected documents from Sony Pictures Entertainment along with threats for theaters featuring “The Interview,” a film originally scheduled for nationwide release December 25. Globalization in entertainment, technology, security, civil and privacy rights converge as suggested by the team of writers for this Washington Post essay. The...