ISLAM
October 2008
"Islamic Responses to Europe at the Dawn of Colonialism"
Book Chapter
By Nelly Lahoud, Research Fellow, Initiative on Religion in International Affairs/International Security Program
"Whether Renan's views of Islam were defined by a predisposition to an ideological and systematic framework or not is difficult to say, but they did nevertheless grow into an ideological worldview. Despite the numerous flaws in his ideas and the subsequent scholarship that has since discredited him, Renan's ideas have survived to the present day."
AP Photo
October 27, 2008
Reducing Terrorism over the Long Term
Policy Memo
By Azeem Ibrahim, Research Fellow, International Security Program
The UK will be at the center of an increase in extremism caused by geostrategic and population trends over the next few decades, Azeem Ibrahim said during a powerful keynote speech to the Leaders' Summit on Security and Cohesion at Portcullis House, Westminster, London, on October 7, 2008. He added that radicals should be re-educated by reformed jihadi fighters and that the key to preventing violent extremism is minimizing the motivation to radicalize.
This policy memo is based on Mr. Ibrahim's speech.
AP Photo
September 17, 2008
"Why Has Al-Qaeda Lasted 20 Years?"
Op-Ed, Agence Global
By Rami Khouri, Senior Fellow, The Dubai Initiative
"Much debate swirls around the condition and status of Al-Qaeda these days, which has clearly suffered operational setbacks with the loss of its Afghan bases, but seems to have regrouped in the northwestern frontier areas of Pakistan where it has widespread support among Taliban-friendly communities. While Al-Qaeda has been disrupted, other similar, smaller Salafist militant groups have sprung to life in Iraq, Somalia, Lebanon, Yemen and Algeria."
Eva Serraberra
September 15, 2008
"The Tragic Failure of Arab Moderates"
Op-Ed, Agence Global
By Rami Khouri, Senior Fellow, The Dubai Initiative
"It is worthwhile viewing George W. Bush's presidency from a different perspective than America's performance abroad, for example by reviewing the efforts and fate of those around the world who partnered with Washington..."
AP Photo
September 10, 2008
"Intemperance Keeps Terrorism Alive"
Op-Ed, Agence Global
By Rami Khouri, Senior Fellow, The Dubai Initiative
"Terrorism is a symptom of other ailments and distortions, and a tool that fanatics use to express themselves and change conditions in society. It is not an ideology that springs out of purely religious milieus. It can be defeated and eliminated only if its underlying causes are recognized and seriously addressed."
July 2008
Terrorism: What the Next President will Face: The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science
Book, volume 618
The July 2008 edition of the ANNALS of the American Academcy of Political and Social Science. It includes eighteen chapters discussing a wide range of topics relating to terrorism, including Al Qaeda, Iran, andcounterterrorism intelligence.
AP Photo
Winter 2007-08
"Iran, New Iraq and the Persian Gulf Political-Security Architecture"
Journal Article, Iranian Journal of International Affairs, issue 1, volume XX
By Kayhan Barzegar, Research Fellow, Project on Managing the Atom/International Security Program
This article investigates the necessity of establishing a new political-security arrangement in the Persian Gulf region in the light of new political developments in the region after the 2003 Iraq crisis. The author argues that following the recent political-security changes in the region and with the shift of Iraq's role from its previous threatening position, together with the prospect of building a friendly coalition between Iran and Iraq, the formation of new political-security architecture is inevitable in the Persian Gulf region. The new arrangement has to be based on the new political-security, cultural and economic realities. The author also argues that the nature of security threat in the region has changed. Under the new circumstances, instead of hard inter-states rivalries, the security challenges are more centered in human security and nations' political demands and expectations. Dealing with these new situations requires establishing mutual cooperation in the region.
AP Photo
June 2, 2008
"Why Islam Lies at the Heart of Iraq's Civil War"
Op-Ed, Christian Science Monitor
By Monica Duffy Toft, Associate Professor of Public Policy
"...[N]ot until 2007 did the Pentagon acknowledge that Iraqi sectarian violence had crossed a threshold to become a civil war.
But policymakers still haven't come to terms with the implications of that fact. If they did, they'd see that a wisely executed withdrawal of US-led forces could well be the surest path to peace. That's because withdrawal is likely to transform the fighting in Iraq into a defensive struggle for power in a nation-state, as opposed to an offensive battle rooted in religion."
AP Photo
2008
"The Shia Factor"
Journal Article, Heartland: Eurasian Review of Geopolitics, (The Pakistani Boomerang Issue), issue 1
By Kayhan Barzegar, Research Fellow, Project on Managing the Atom/International Security Program
The new rivalry between two main Muslim communities is the result of the political developments in Iraq. The pragmatic relationship between Iran and the Shia factions in other countries. The fears of Sunni regimes of a Shia crescent moon.
AP Photo
March 24, 2008
"India-Iran Relations: Key Security Implications"
Policy Brief
By Xenia Dormandy, Senior Associate, Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs and Ronak D. Desai
While India and the United States have embarked on a campaign to strengthen their bilateral relations, as symbolized by the proposed US-India civilian nuclear deal, it appears as though New Delhi has similarly begun to pursue a more robust relationship with another major power: Iran. The two states have recently expanded cooperation in a number of key areas, including counterterrorism, regional stability, and energy security. What are the implications of this "New Delhi-Tehran Axis" for the United States, and how should Washington respond to growing ties between India and Iran?
