The U.S. Presidential Election and U.S. Policy toward East Asia

Description

Harvey Sicherman of the Foreign Policy Research Institute, Walter A. McDougall of the University of Pennsylvania, Lowell Dittmer of the University of California at Berkeley, and Robert G. Sutter of Georgetown University examine U.S. policy toward East Asia during the George W. Bush administration; and consider the impact which the 2008 presidential campaign and the upcoming change in leadership might have on policy.

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Dealing with the North Korean Nuclear Threat

Description

Don Oberdorfer of Jon Hopkins University outlines the history of U.S. foreign relations with Korea, from World War II and its division into North and South Korea, through the Korean War, up to the present day and the President George W. Bush's inclusion of North Korea in his "Axis of Evil." Oberdorfer looks particularly at North Korean nuclear production and U.S. and global reactions (and possible future reactions) to this development.

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Understanding Jihadism

Description

Mary Habeck of Johns Hopkins University looks at the theories backing jihadism and the practice of jihadism. She examines the differences between Islamist and Salafi groups that believe change can be achieved by social/political means and those that believe change can only be realized through violence—the Jihadi groups.

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Terrorism in Historical and Comparative Perspective

Description

Michael Radu of the Foreign Policy Research Institute's Center on Terrorism, Counter-Terrorism, and Homeland Security examines the definition of terrorism throughout history and around the globe—including how the media muddies the waters and how different nations and cultures today label certain acts as terrorism and refuse to label other actions as such.

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Islam, Democracy, and the West

Description

Fawaz Gerges of Sarah Lawrence College and Barry Rubin of the Global Research in International Affairs Center explore the political turmoil currently taking place in the Middle East, including the rise to prominence of Islamists in politics. Gerges argues that the Islamist powers rise to fill a vacuum of legitimate political authority. Rubin emphasizes the importance of Arab nationalism in the region's internal and global politics and the staying power of some of the region's regimes.

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Islam, Law, and Human Rights

Description

David Forte of Cleveland State University discusses the development of Islam away from its original written texts, arguing that the legal community, the needs of empire, and tribalism have distorted the religion's spiritual message, resulting in the current harsh treatment of apostates and religious minorities. He includes some comparison of Islam's development to that of Christianity and Judaism.

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Iraq's Democratic Prospects

Description

Kanan Makiya of Brandeis University examines the current political state of Iraq—considering the ongoing insurgency in Iraq and its causes (presenting it largely as a civil war), looking at mistakes the U.S. made in entering Iraq, and arguing that Iraq's people will need to grow past their history as victims of an oppressive political system before they will be able to democratize as a nation.

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