In The News

Waking Up to the Terror Threat in Southern Thailand

John R. Bradley May 27, 2004
An insurgent movement within the Thai Muslim community has led to over 200 deaths in southern Thailand this year. The presence of the expensive, brand-new Yala Islamic College, primarily funded by Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Kuwait, is not unrelated to this violence, says this article in Singapore’s Straits Times. The 1,500-some students there dress in traditional Arab garb and are taught a strict...

US Nation-Building Abroad – Part I

Dilip Hiro May 26, 2004
In hindsight, it is now clear that Washington's declaration of an end to the Iraq war last year was premature, at best. Although Saddam Hussein was driven from power, Iraqis have yet to experience the democracy, freedom, and economic improvements promised by US President George W. Bush. In the first installment of a multi-authored, three-part series on US nation-building efforts in Iraq...

Doubts Remain Over Iraq’s Path to Sovereignty

Roula Khalaf May 25, 2004
13 months after the fall of Baghdad, the city’s residents are frustrated about the direction their nation has taken. Doubts about the competence of both occupying forces and Iraqi leadership have surfaced as the June 30 deadline for transfer of power approaches. Reporters from the Financial Times spoke to young Iraqis, for whom “the joy of freedom… has been overshadowed by anxieties over Iraq...

Egyptians decry 'gay' U.S. abusers in Iraq

Patrick Letellier May 17, 2004
Three hundred Egyptians rallied in Cairo last week, blaming the recent abuse at Abu Ghraib prison on “homosexual American executioners.” Graphic photos of American soldiers torturing and sexually abusing Iraqi prisoners have inspired anger across the Middle East. The Cairo protest worries human rights advocates, who say that tying torture to homosexuality fits into a larger political agenda. The...

Berg's death augurs ill for Arab societies

May 12, 2004
In the past few weeks, the world has been stunned by the evidence of US and coalition troops abusing Iraqi prisoners in their custody. Now, the world is shocked once again with a video of the beheading of an American civilian by anti-US Iraqi insurgents. As the editorial in one of the Middle East's most respected papers, the Daily Star of Lebanon puts it, "the barbaric and ultimately...

The Medium Shapes the Message

Seth Fein May 7, 2004
The fact that US President George W. Bush addressed audiences on Arab television this week made clear to all that Washington sees a need to communicate better with people in the Middle East about its policies and programs. Nonetheless, says Yale historian Seth Fein, past US efforts to promote American foreign policy goals through the media have met only with skepticism and distrust. A news...

Business as Usual

Nermeen Al-Mufti May 7, 2004
The abuse and torture of Iraqi prisoners in US custody in Iraq has made headlines around the world this week, with condemnation coming from many heads of state and governments who are appalled by the shocking images they have seen. Yet Iraq's own Governing Council, says this article in Egypt's Al-Ahram Weekly, has been virtually silent on the entire issue. Reports of mistreatment have...