In a new special focus on Islamophobia, Foreign Policy In Focus interviews prolific author and professor John Esposito about prevailing political and media myths about Muslims and the Muslim world.
For most states, oil wealth spells, to a certain extent, an end to ethics. Not Norway.
Despite concessions made by interim government in Tunisia, a crisis of trust continues to reign over the people. The government’s fate remains uncertain as hundreds of people arrived in Tunis from rural areas on January 24, calling for the removal of all former government officials. This sea change in power raises several questions about the root causes of this extraordinary protest, the impact it will have on the region as a whole, and whether the theory that Arab civil societies are too inept to generate real change within their own governments has been finally disproved.
As in the United States, the military and big business in China aren’t shy about challenging the executive office.
The exposure by Al Jazeera and London’s Guardian newspaper of a huge cache of documents detailing Palestinian accounts of a decade of peace negotiations with Israel could deal a lethal blow to U.S. efforts to get a credible process back on track, according to experts here.
Aside from those who attempt to illegally emigrate, Algeria’s youth is paralyzed.
Lebanon’s unraveling and the undiminished influence of the Syrian state clearly demonstrate that U.S. attempts to isolate Damascus have failed.
Ben Ali’s exile in Saudi Arabia, with whom Tunisia has an extradition treaty, is an uneasy one.
With little else they deem important, U.S. diplomats in Armenia pass the time by speculating about laws covering cell phone use while driving.
The unarmed insurrection that overthrew the Ben Ali regime in Tunisia has opened up debate regarding prospects for democratization in Arab and other predominately Muslim countries. Many in the West are familiar with the way unarmed pro-democracy insurrections have helped bring democracy to Eastern Europe, Latin America, and parts of Asia and Africa. But they discount the chances of such movements in Islamic countries, despite Tunisia being far from the first. Meanwhile, the United States — despite giving lip service in support for democracy – continues to actively support authoritarian governments in Islamic countries.