In The News

Muslims and the Tale of Two Continents

Shada Islam September 14, 2007
Ever since the 9/11 attacks, Islamic extremists have chosen the US as the target of their ire. But in the six years since 9/11, actual attacks planned on US soil are few in number, with more plotters emerging in Europe. Shada Islam, journalist and policy analyst based in Brussels, suggests that Muslim immigrants in Europe and US both share frustration about Western prejudices and...

Bin Laden Unplugged: Analyzing the Latest Video

Daveed Gartenstein-Ross September 12, 2007
Osama bin Laden, mastermind of the 9/11 attacks, released a video criticizing global warming, capitalism, campaign financing by corporations and interest-bearing loans. From hiding, the international fugitive derides the media as “a tool of colonialist empires,” yet tailors a message hinting that he follows the news. Urging that religion, as outlined in the Koran, can replace current standards in...

In Post-9/11 World, US President Has the Loneliest Job

Bruce Stokes September 10, 2007
That fateful day in September six years ago brought about a changed world for the US and a new world view of the US. The world is weary of the Iraq war, missed opportunities in diplomacy, unilateralism and a general belligerence associated with the Bush administration. The Pew Global Attitudes Survey suggests that anti-Americanism stands at an all-time high, even within nations that count among...

Wars That Defy Categorization

Dilip Hiro September 6, 2007
Some events have background stories that encompass centuries of history, offering immense complexity. Such is the case with the Iranian Revolution of 1979, the September 11 attacks of 2001 and the ongoing war in Iraq, suggests author Dilip Hiro. Analysts of the West underestimate how resentment and religion motivate people to reject democracy, reform or stability, acting in ways that may go...

This Is a War for Credibility

Martin Woollacott September 6, 2007
US President Bush has compared the Iraq War to many wars. Until recently, he avoided comparisons with the Vietnam War, regarded a failed effort on the part of the US. Despite the deaths of more than 50,000 US troops, the US did not achieve its goal – preventing the spread of communism. After US withdrawal and the deaths of millions in Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos, South Vietnam fell to communist...

Doing God’s Work for the Taliban

Shim Jae Hoon September 4, 2007
Missionaries from South Korea travel to remote and dangerous lands, intent on spreading their Christian faith. Christianity contributed to modernization in South Korea, and missionaries often link their beliefs with the country’s miraculous economic growth. In July, the Taliban kidnapped 23 young Christian volunteers in Afghanistan, killing two before releasing the remaining hostages in late...

If Iraq Falls

Josef Joffe August 29, 2007
More than 30 years ago, US officials warned that communism would sweep through Asia if the US walked away from its mission in Vietnam. The US did leave Vietnam, the North Vietnamese took control of the nation, and communism did not sweep the continent. But with oil and some ruthless neighbors, Iraq has geopolitical significance. “The world's worst political and religious pathologies combine...