In The News

Education the Best Counter for Radicalism

Muhammad Wildan July 30, 2007
Radical Islam is on the rise in Southeast Asia. Muhammad Wildan, a fellow with the Asian Research Institute, argues that the radicalism is a result of local peculiarities rather than incorrect interpretations of Islam. Because globalization has marginalized religion throughout the world, Islam and other religions have lost social authority. Many Muslims embrace salafism, which prohibits modern...

US Pledges $20 Billion in Arms to Middle East

Robin Wright July 30, 2007
The US announced plans to sell billions of dollars worth of weapons to Saudi Arabia, as well as to renew arms deals with Egypt, Israel and other allies. Goals behind the US plan include strengthening ties with allies and countering Iran’s growing influence in the region. However, some allies express concerns about more weapons flowing into the volatile region. Analysts point out that some...

Saudis' Role in Iraq Insurgency Outlined

Ned Parker July 26, 2007
Despite US government complaints that Syria and Iran help Iraqi insurgents, Saudi Arabia is the largest source of foreign fighters in Iraq. Almost half of foreign fighters come from Saudi Arabia, and fighters from the oil-rich country may have carried out more suicide bombings than those of any other nationality. Some analysts report that Saudi Arabia does not properly patrol its border with Iraq...

Interrupting a History of Tolerance – Part III

Fahad Nazer July 26, 2007
Any religion with global stature, such as Islam, must accept diversity in terms of culture, beliefs and practices. Tolerance for evolving beliefs demonstrates confidence. This YaleGlobal series explores how external forces encouraged intolerance, such as anti-Semitism, in the Middle East throughout the 19th and 20th centuries. However, Saudi Arabia, as the guardian of holy Islamic sites, had its...

Interrupting a History of Tolerance – Part II

Riaz Hassan July 24, 2007
The roots of anti-Semitism in the Middle East are based not in Islamic traditions, but in practical opposition to external intervention, argues Riaz Hassan, professor of sociology in Australia. The first two articles of this three-part series analyze historical events that allowed anti-Semitism to permeate the Middle East. In the early 20th century, Palestinians fiercely resisted Jewish settlers...

Libya’s Release of 6 Prisoners Raises Criticism

Matthew Brunwasser and Elaine Sciolino July 24, 2007
In 1999, Libya accused five nurses and a physician, based in Benghazi, of deliberately infecting hundreds of children with the HIV virus that causes AIDS. Over the next eight years, the health-care providers, five from Bulgaria and one from Palestine, endured imprisonment, three trials and death sentences. Analysts suggest that the unsanitary conditions in the hospitals infected the children...

Denmark Secretly Evacuates Iraqi Aides From Basra

Fred Attewill July 24, 2007
Countries with troops in Iraq rely on Iraqis for many essential tasks, from driving to translating. Insurgents often target such Iraqis with violence, accusing them of collaborating with coalition forces. Denmark, which will withdraw troops from Iraq soon, secretly evacuated 200 interpreters from Basra to Denmark, offering them asylum. Since the invasion began in March 2003, millions of Iraqis...