Foreign Policy Blogs

Defense & Security

The ICG Report on Egypt's Muslim Brothers

In June of this year, the International Crisis Group published a report titled, "Egypt's Muslim Brothers: Confrontation or Integration?" , particularly looking at confrontation in the context of long-term stability. In the world of politics and religion, the question always seems to come back to "confrontation" and whether domestic politics can tolerate the religious foundations […]

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THE OTHER WARS WE ARE ENGAGED IN: PART TWO – AFGHANISTAN

It's gotten to the point that Afghanistan is no longer "the other war," but is starting to claim more of the spotlight from Iraq with each day. Consider these developments: In the months of May and June, more Americans died in Afghanistan than died in Iraq. On June 13th, the Taliban successfully staged a well-planned out […]

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Terrorist Profiling and Muslim Organizations

The Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC) issued a statement last Thursday about the Department of Justice's aim to update the Attorney General Guidelines. MPAC reported that besides for its own organization, other groups, including the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) and the Arab American Institute (AAI), are concerned by developments in the drafting of the new […]

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Women Muftis in Syria

According to the Institute for War and Peace Reporting (IWPR), Syrian women are happy that men will no longer be the only gender occupying the position of mufti. In June, according to IWPR, Arabic-language news sites reported that Grand Mufti Ahmed Badreddin Hassoun "announced that female graduates of Islamic law colleges are being trained to […]

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THE US WILL NOT ATTACK IRAN

Although in regards to Iran, Bush used his favorite phrase, "all options are on the table," he did say, military action would not be his first choice. More importantly, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, Admiral Mullen admitted "opening up a third front right now would be extremely stressful on us — that doesn't mean […]

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Kashmir Today: Land Transfers or Covert Plots?

Kashmir Today: Land Transfers or Covert Plots?

AlJazeera.net continues its coverage of the violent clashes in Indian-administered Kashmir (particularly in Srinagar), which have already lasted more than eight days. It reports that the violence stems from protests over a “controversial plan to transfer land to a Hindu trust organization.” The aim was to provide 99 acres of land to the Shri Amarnath Shrine […]

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The U.S. President's Faith-Based Initiatives

The U.S. President's Faith-Based Initiatives

According to President Bush's speech at the National Hispanic Prayer Breakfast on June 26, his administration "has provided unprecedented support for the compassionate work performed by faith-based and community groups." He continued this thought by saying that the "government can hand out money, but government cannot put hope in a person's heart." The President remarked […]

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The World's Weakest States: The Impact of Religion

Foreign Policy and Fund for Peace have published the 2008 Failed States Index. The main goal of the Index is to assess the vulnerability of states to slide towards further violence and chaos. There are twelve indicators of state vulnerability, which can be found here. At the top of the Index (most failed) is Somalia, […]

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Real Unity or Mere Campaign Slogans: Obama and American Muslims

Presidential Candidate Barack Obama still has the support of a majority of American Muslims, but a New York Times article from June 24, 2008 questions whether there is a "disconnect between Mr. Obama's message of unity and his campaign strategy." One reason for questioning his sincerity is Obama's failure to visit a single mosque during […]

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Conservative Anglicans: The Divide over Homosexuality

The Lambeth Conference for bishops of the Anglican Communion (held once a decade) will take place from July 20 to August 2. This year, however, a real divide has emerged, and according to an article in the New York Times, "a quarter of the bishops are expected to boycott the conference and attend a rival […]

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Islamic Feminism in the Context of Religious Dialogue

Several posts on this blog have discussed the place of dialogue and cultural understanding in world politics, specifically in the context of religion. Recently, a newsletter of the Organization for Defending Victims of Violence (ODVV is an Iranian human rights organization) raised the question of Islamic Feminism. In this regard, Hiba Arshad, the author of a […]

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Psychological Fallout of Violence: Iraq and Gaza

Anna Badkhen, writing in Baghdad for ISN Security Watch, wrote a commentary this week expressing her view that "the most lingering threat to stability in Iraq is the psychological fallout of the sectarian violence of 2006 and 2007." She discusses the long-term threat that is now emerging from the severe segregation of Sunnis and Shias.  […]

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Isolation or Dialogue?

This month, the Center for Security Studies (Zurich) published an excellent analysis of Switzerland's Middle East policy. The article first reminds readers that Switzerland follows a policy of engagement on the basis of three principles: neutrality, universality, and recognition of states rather than governments. The last element can be specifically contrasted with the foreign policy of […]

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FPA Conference on Afghanistan with Ambassador Neumann

Yesterday evening the Foreign Policy Association hosted a lecture by Ambassador Ronald Neumann (retired), current President of the American Academy of Diplomacy. As the former US Ambassador to Afghanistan from 2004 , 2007, Mr. Neumann has intimate knowledge of what happened there and also with the current situation.  Streaming video of his lecture can be seen […]

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The Religious "Left'

From all the media coverage of the current U.S. presidential election, it seems that the "liberal" or "progressive" voice has once again entered U.S. politics. According to a recent Q&A at the Pew Forum, "the religious left" is more active. John Green, the Senior Fellow in Religion and American Politics, provides clear definitions of the religious […]

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