Home > Themes > Religion in Politics
Religion in Politics
Transcript
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Mohammad Javad Ardashir Larijani,
David C. Speedie
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11/23/11
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Dr. Larijani, Iran's secretary general of the High Council for Human Rights, describes Iran's system as a "democratic structure based on Islamic rationality," and engages in a sometimes heated discussion with the audience on nuclear weapons and human rights in Iran.
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John R. Schmidt,
Joanne J. Myers
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10/03/11
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U.S. Foreign Service officer John Schmidt explains how the complex, dangerous relationship between the leaders of Pakistan and various jihadist groups came about, and how it all began to unravel after 9/11.
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Joel H. Rosenthal
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09/08/11
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Life on earth is fast becoming a shared destiny, and a global ethic is no longer a luxury but a necessity. If we can create a world where empathy, responsibility, and humility are taken seriously, then the search for a global ethic need not be in vain.
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Stephane Lacroix,
Joanne J. Myers
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06/02/11
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Stephane Lacroix gives a penetrating account of the political and religious dynamics of Saudi Arabia, one of the most opaque of Muslim countries and the birthplace of Osama bin Laden.
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Francis Fukuyama,
Joel H. Rosenthal
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05/13/11
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How does Francis Fukuyama view state formation, normative issues, and human behavior? Does he believe (as Andrew Carnegie did) that history moves in an upward direction and we can eventually put an end to war? This fascinating interview explores these questions and more.
More than half of the world's Muslims and Christians live along the tenth parallel in Africa or in Asia. How do these two great intersecting faiths interact?
Robert Wright's astute analysis uses game theory: a religion that sees itself in a zero-sum relationship with outsiders will prove exclusionist and violent, while a religion that sees itself in a non-zero-sum relationship will adjust its theology accordingly. What does this mean for the future?
What do Nazis, the CIA, and the rise of the Muslim Brotherhood in the West have in common? Journalist Ian Johnson tells the untold story of a group of ex-Soviet Muslims who defected to Germany during World War II has a lesson for today: beware of using religion as a tool.
Focusing on Muslims in Europe, Ian Buruma argues that religions (including Islam) and liberal democracies are compatible, despite many peoples' fears. Democracy allows space for religion as long as believers obey their society's laws.
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John L. Esposito
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02/03/10
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Is Islam compatible with democracy and human rights? Will religious fundamentalism block the development of modern societies in the Islamic world? Georgetown's John L. Esposito demolishes some common negative stereotypes about Islam, the fastest growing religion in the world.
French President Nicolas Sarkozy recently declared that burqas are not welcome in France. To some, the burqa represents the suppression of women. Yet many Muslim women embrace it. Should states have control over what people wear?
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John Micklethwait,
Adrian Wooldridge
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04/17/09
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John Micklethwait and Adrian Wooldridge argues that God is back as part of politics. On the street and in the corridors of power, religion is surging worldwide. Can religion and modernity thrive together? What impact will the world's rise of faith have in this century?
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Emile A. Nakhleh,
Joanne J. Myers
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03/17/09
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In an informed assessment of the past, present, and future of America's relations with the Muslim world, the CIA's point person on Islam, Emile A. Nakhleh, makes a vigorous case for a renewal of American public diplomacy.
Banning headscarves may violate an individual's right of religious expression and choice. Allowing headscarves may violate a state's commitment to secularism. How do we marry public goods and religious imperatives?
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Kavitha Rajagopalan,
Devin T. Stewart
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02/18/09
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How do Muslim immigrants to the West adjust to their new lives? Kavitha Rajagopalan follows three families on their journey: a Palestinian family from Jerusalem to London, a Kurdish family from Turkey to Berlin, and a Bangladeshi family to New York City.
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Joshua S. Fouts,
Rita J. King
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02/18/09
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After a year of exploring digital Islamic communities, Senior Fellows Joshua S. Fouts and Rita J. King present their findings, along with video of their virtual explorations on the diplomatic frontier and a performance by Iranian hip hop artist Yas.
The neocons and al-Qaeda have both failed to reach their objectives, says Gilles Kepel. We are now facing one big power in the Middle East: Iran.
Historian Mark A. Noll argues that the reason Barack Obama's candidacy is such an important matter for the American history of race, religion, and politics goes back to the 1830s. Noll focuses on the political effects of religion intermingling with race from a historical perspective.
"To be a moderate in the Arab world today," says Jordanian diplomat Marwan Muasher, "is to be a very, very tiny minority." The reason is that all the Arab center's energy has been focused on the Israeli-Palestinian peace process.
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Sir Lawrence Freedman,
Joanne J. Myers
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05/22/08
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Looking back over the last 30 years, historian Sir Lawrence Freedman analyzes the complex politics of the Middle East and shows how America's policy choices in previous crises have led to the current dilemmas
In the West the idea of governance by Sharia law is radioactive, says Noah Feldman, yet for many in the Muslim world it represents their aspirations for rule of law. Can Islamic States succeed?
Bernard Haykel sheds light on the inner workings of Saudi Arabia, from the relationship between the government and various Islamic groups, to the position of women and the Kingdom's relationship with the U.S.
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Ahmed Rashid,
Joanne J. Myers
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12/12/07
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Created as a Muslim state 60 years ago this August, Pakistan is in crisis, wrestling with Draconian laws, the conflict between secularism and Islam, and an increasing terrorist threat. Ahmed Rashid, author of "Taliban," analyses the situation.
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Olivier Roy,
Joanne J. Myers
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11/05/07
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What we are witnessing in Europe," says Olivier Roy, "is a transformation from an ethnic
minority into a faith community. These people want to be considered as citizens
and Muslims. They don't consider themselves as a diaspora."
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Walter Russell Mead
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10/31/07
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Walter Russell Mead wittily explains how the individualistic faiths of Britain and America lent themselves so well to the creation of the modern economic and political order.
Garry Wills says that the U.S. separation of church and state both unleashed evangelical feelings and tempered them with reason and rationality. "Putting together the head and the heart is not easy, but we have been most successful as a country when that has happened."
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Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu,
Joanne J. Myers
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10/02/07
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The 57-member OIC has embarked on an ambitious 10-year plan, which includes setting up a 10-billion-dollar fund for poverty alleviation and eventually establishing an independent body on human rights, says Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu.
Mark Lilla notes that "it's not contemporary Islam that's the exception", but, "we are the exception. We live on the other shore from those who see political theology as the only way of life, and we need to drop the illusion that we share a common vocabulary."
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D. Michael Lindsay
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09/20/07
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D. Michael Lindsay says that evangelicals have become the new internationalists working at both policy and grassroot levels for more American engagement abroad. How does this affect America and the rest of the world?
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Martha Nussbaum,
Joanne J. Myers
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05/03/07
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The Hindu right poses a threat to India's secular democracy, says Martha Nussbaum, and this example of the impact of religious nationalism is relevant to democracies everywhere.
In spite of the hatred and frustration on the surface, Palestinian activist and scholar Sari Nusseibeh optimistically believes that deep down there is readiness on the part of both Israelis and Palestinians to make peace.
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Zahid Hussain,
Joanne J. Myers
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03/12/07
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This is a tense time in Pakistan and Afghanistan, says Zahid Hussain. The Pakistan intelligence service and militant Islam are connected, Musharraf is walking a tightrope, and the Taliban is back in force in Afghanistan.
Jonathan Clarke argues that the Clash of Civilizations theory is largely based on mistaken conclusions about the meaning of the end of the Cold War, and could easily become a self-fulfilling prophesy.
Ian Buruma explores what happens when political Islam collides with a secular Western European nation.
Vali Nasr argues that the Shia Crescent—stretching from Lebanon and Syria through the Gulf to Iraq and Iran, finally terminating in Pakistan and India—is gathering strength in the aftermath of Saddam's fall.
Professor Philip Jenkins argues that by the year 2025, Africa and Latin America will have the largest number of Christians in the world. According to Jenkins, this is a different kind of Christianity from that which we are used to in the Global North.
Senator John Danforth argues that religious people should engage in politics, but, he notes, "there is a difference between engaging in politics and transforming politics and government into an extension or an enforcer of your religious point of view."
In order to understand the Arab mistrust of the United States and of the West in general, says Milton Viorst, we must study the turbulent history of the relations between the Christian and Muslim world, particularly the clashes and betrayals since World War I.
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Jere Van Dyk,
Milton Viorst
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05/09/06
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"This is not a new war," says Milton Viorst. "It’s the latest chapter in a war that has been going on between two great cultures, Islamic Eastern and the Christian West, for 1,400 years."
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Shirin Ebadi,
Joanne J. Myers
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05/01/06
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Dr. Ebadi discusses Iran's human rights situation, including gender and religious discrimination, and restrictions on freedom of expression. While democracy is incomplete, she says, it cannot be imposed from without, but must develop from within.
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Philip Jenkins,
Jere Van Dyk
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04/20/06
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Professor Philip Jenkins argues that between 1974 and 1980, "there is a shift in political culture, political rhetoric, which is in a generally conservative direction, although sometimes the people who are pushing that conservatism might label themselves liberals or Democrats."
In a wide-ranging talk, Professor Philip Jenkins argues that the mid-to-late 1970s were a crucial turning point in religious and political landscapes around the world.
Based on her interviews with over 300 Muslim leaders in Europe, Klausen argues that European Muslims are overwhelmingly liberal in outlook. Their essential goal, she says, is to build a European Islam independent of the Islamic countries.
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Olivier Roy,
Joanne J. Myers
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03/30/06
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The spread of Islam around the globe has blurred the connection between a religion, a specific society, and a territory, says Roy. This phenomenon is feeding new forms of radicalism.
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Gershom Gorenberg,
Joanne J. Myers
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03/20/06
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Gershom Gorenberg discusses the history of the Israeli settlements and examines the roadblocks that continue to frustrate the establishment of peaceful relations with the Palestinians.
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Michael J. Sandel
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03/08/06
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Professor Michael Sandel argues that there is an allergy among liberals to using substantive moral, and even religious arguments in politics. Yet, he notes, "it's often not possible, and in any case not desirable, to separate political argument from moral and religious argument."
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Yitzhak Nakash,
Joanne J. Myers
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03/06/06
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Professor Yitzhak Nakash presents in great detail the history of the Shi'a branch of Islam, including an analysis of the tenuous political process in post-Saddam Iraq.
Steven Waldman, founder of the website belief.net.com, presents some surprising conclusions about how beliefs affect voting in the United States.
Author John Allen debunks some of the myths that surround Opus Dei, the prelature of the Roman Catholic Church that promotes the sanctity of ordinary daily work. Allen also explains Opus Dei's history, goals, and practices.
Princeton Professor Robert Wuthnow asks whether we are willing to do the hard work required to achieve genuine religious diversity and understanding.
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Elisabeth Sifton
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09/20/05
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Elisabeth Sifton, Reinhold Niebuhr's daughter, reviews her father's legacy and concludes that many of today's Christian leaders are ignoring the radical truths he espoused.
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Luis Lugo,
Allen Hertzke,
Richard Cizik
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09/15/05
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A discussion of the growing importance of religious groups in advancing international human rights causes, from the Sudan to Korea.
George Weigel ponders the growing--and to him acutely disturbing--secularity of Europe, which he believes raises urgent questions about the future of democracy worldwide.
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Michael Novak,
Joanne J. Myers
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10/06/04
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Novak insists that concepts of political, economic, and religious liberty can be found in the Qur'an.
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Gilles Kepel,
Joanne J. Myers
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09/22/04
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Kepel argues that Americans have committed a fundamental error in assuming that the followers of Osama bin Laden are waging a war on the American state.
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Ian Buruma,
Joanne J. Myers
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04/08/04
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Buruma points out that the hatred animating Islamic radicals conforms to the classic counter-Enlightenment vision of Western society as rootless, timid, and soulless.
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Graham Fuller,
Joanne J. Myers
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05/22/03
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Fuller predicts that although unlikely to disappear altogether, radical Islamist groups will eventually learn to compromise as more modest groups spring up to compete with them.
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Rabbi Jonathan Sacks
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05/01/03
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Rabbi Jonathan Sacks hopes that mankind can develop a doctrine of peaceful coexistence grounded in religious texts common to Jews, Christians, and Muslims.
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Paul Berman,
Joanne J. Myers
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04/15/03
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Paul Berman discusses the common ideological underpinnings of totalitarian movements, from fascism and communism to the radical Islamist movement. He observes that in every case it is liberal naïveté that allows totalitarianism to progress.
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Geneive Abdo,
Jonathan Lyons,
Joanne J. Myers
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03/18/03
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The national struggle underway in modern Iran is indicative of the theological debates in the Middle East today. At the heart of the turmoils in the region is not a clash between civilizations but "a clash of Islam against Islam," argue Geneive Abdo and Jonathan Lyons.
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Yossi Klein Halevi
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10/31/02
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Muslim countries have historically made space for Jewish minority groups, but Islam must evolve to accept a more modern notion of pluralism if there is to be peace in the Middle East, says Yossi Klein Halevi.
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Ashutosh Varshney,
Joanne J. Myers
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09/24/02
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Why are some cities in India rife with ethnic conflict whereas others are not? According to Varshney, a city's proneness to violence is directly linked to its level of civic integration.
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John L. Esposito,
Joanne J. Myers
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05/07/02
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The communications revolution of the late 20th century made Muslims around the world aware that they were part of a global community, a development that helped to "globalize" the idea of jihad, says John Esposito.
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Gilles Kepel,
Joanne J. Myers
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04/17/02
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Today, Islamist movements in the Middle East are fragmented, according to Gilles
Kepel, and no longer have the capacity to mobilize different social groups
simultaneously as they did in the 1970s and 1980s. Yet they remain dangerous
because they believe jihad is "the other superpower."
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Philip Jenkins,
Joanne J. Myers
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04/17/02
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Christian influence on world events is less likely to originate in the United States or Europe than in Africa, Asia, and Latin America, where a version of Pentecostalism has been spreading, says Philip Jenkins.
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Bernard Lewis,
Joanne J. Myers
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03/26/02
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In the Middle East today, there are two prevailing opinions about why the Islamic world now lags behind the West, according to Bernard Lewis. The first is the Islamic world has simply failed to keep up with modernity. The second is almost the exact opposite: it has become too much "like the infidels" and abandoned its own heritage, tradition, and faith.
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Ahmed Rashid,
Joanne J. Myers
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12/17/01
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Central Asia will remain precariously unstable until the repressive governments are forced to reform, asserts Pakistani journalist Ahmed Rashid. There is reason for optimism, he says, but also a need for vigilance -- especially as the U.S. war on Afghanistan has further embittered Islamic extremists.
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Shashi Tharoor,
Joanne J. Myers
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11/28/01
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In this talk, Shashi Tharoor discusses his latest novel, based on a series of religious riots in India in the late 1980s and addressing issues of communal tension in that country.
Who is bin Laden? What drives him? Peter Bergen is one of the few Westerners who has interviewed bin Laden face to face. He has also interviewed his family and done extensive background research. Thus he gives us valuable insights into what makes bin Laden tick.
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Michael Ignatieff,
Joanne J. Myers
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11/02/01
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Human rights scholar Michael Ignatieff happened to be in Kabul when the Taliban came to power. He has never forgotten his conversations with Afghan women during that time, who, he says, "taught me more about human rights than I have ever learned before or since." In this talk, Ignatieff discusses the poor human rights records in many Islamic countries and possible remedies.
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Fawaz A. Gerges,
Joanne J. Myers
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10/29/01
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Fifty years ago, the entire Middle East used to admire the United States, viewing it as an island of progressivism in a Europe-centric world. Today there are no major political groups in the Arab world that are pro-American. What went wrong? Gerges examines the trajectory of recent U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East for some answers.
Though they lacked any state or territory of their own, Jews nevertheless created a distinctive political philosophy, one that deserves systematic scholarly attention.
Audio
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John R. Schmidt,
Joanne J. Myers
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10/04/11
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U.S. Foreign Service officer John Schmidt explains how the complex, dangerous relationship between the leaders of Pakistan and various jihadist groups came about, and how it all began to unravel after 9/11.
Philosopher A.C. Grayling has created a non-religious Bible that draws from the wealth of secular literature and philosophy in both Western and Eastern traditions. Whatever your beliefs, you will find food for thought in this wise and witty talk.
More than half of the world's Muslims and Christians live along the tenth parallel in Africa or in Asia. How do these two great intersecting faiths interact?
The proposed building of an Islamic community center two blocks from 9/11’s Ground Zero has become a contentious issue. Would building the center promote the American virtues of religious freedom and speech? Or would it be counterproductive and insensitive, even if the intent is pure?
What do Nazis, the CIA, and the rise of the Muslim Brotherhood in the West have in common? Journalist Ian Johnson tells the untold story of a group of ex-Soviet Muslims who defected to Germany during World War II has a lesson for today: beware of using religion as a tool.
Robert Wright's astute analysis uses game theory: a religion that sees itself in a zero-sum relationship with outsiders will prove exclusionist and violent, while a religion that sees itself in a non-zero-sum relationship will adjust its theology accordingly. What does this mean for the future?
Bernard Lewis is one of the world's foremost Western scholars on Islam. In this eloquent talk he shares some of his knowledge, and explains how the different world views held by Christians and Muslims can lead to misunderstanding.
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Deborah Amos,
Joanne J. Myers
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03/23/10
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1.9 million Sunni Muslims have been forced into exile following the Iraq War, says Deborah Amos. What impact is this having on these people's lives, on Iraq, and on the region's delicate balance of power?
Focusing on Muslims in Europe, Ian Buruma argues that religions (including Islam) and liberal democracies are compatible, despite many peoples' fears. Democracy allows space for religion as long as believers obey their society's laws.
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John L. Esposito
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01/28/10
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Is Islam compatible with democracy and human rights? Will religious fundamentalism block the development of modern societies in the Islamic world? Georgetown's John L. Esposito demolishes some common negative stereotypes about Islam, the fastest growing religion in the world.
For President Obama, what is the relation between religion and politics?
The real key to bringing economic and political change to the Muslim world is capitalism, says Vali Nasr. Entrepreneurial middle classes the world over have a stake in the system and are more interested in economic success than religious extremism.
David Rodin explores the logic which governs how rights may be lost, acquired and transferred--how they 'move'--and examines in particular the implications this has for the way we justify and prosecute war.
French President Nicolas Sarkozy recently declared that burqas are not welcome in France. To some, the burqa represents the suppression of women. Yet many Muslim women embrace it. Should states have control over what people wear?
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Ali A. Allawi,
Joanne J. Myers
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04/30/09
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What caused the decline of Islamic civilization and how can it be revived? Ali A. Allawi lays out key principles that could make it flourish in this age of globalization.
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Frans Timmermans
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04/09/09
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Dutch Minister for European Affairs Frans Timmermans argues that tolerance and the attitude of "live and let live" is no longer enough. He notes that our goal must be integration, which means increasing the interactiveness between communities.
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John Micklethwait,
Adrian Wooldridge
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04/09/09
|
John Micklethwait and Adrian Wooldridge argues that God is back as part of politics. On the street and in the corridors of power, religion is surging worldwide. Can religion and modernity thrive together? What impact will the world's rise of faith have in this century?
|
Kavitha Rajagopalan
|
02/13/09
|
How do Muslim immigrants to the West adjust to their new lives? Kavitha Rajagopalan follows three families on their journey: a Palestinian family from Jerusalem to London, a Kurdish family from Turkey to Berlin, and a Bangladeshi family to New York City.
|
Joshua S. Fouts,
Rita J. King
|
02/02/09
|
After a year of exploring digital Islamic communities, Senior Fellows Joshua S. Fouts and Rita J. King present their findings, along with video of their virtual explorations on the diplomatic frontier and a performance by Iranian hip hop artist Yas.
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Ian Bremmer,
Art Kleiner,
Michele Wucker,
Thomas Stewart
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01/15/09
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What dangers are lurking for 2009? Taking Eurasia Group's list of Top Risks as a starting point, this lively discussion examines the ethical aspects of these issues.
The neocons and al-Qaeda have both failed to reach their objectives, says Gilles Kepel. We are now facing one big power in the Middle East: Iran.
Historian Mark A. Noll argues that the reason Barack Obama's candidacy is such an important matter for the American history of race, religion, and politics goes back to the 1830s. Noll focuses on the political effects of religion intermingling with race from a historical perspective.
"To be a moderate in the Arab world today," says Jordanian diplomat Marwan Muasher, "is to be a very, very tiny minority." The reason is that all the Arab Center's energies have been focused on the Israeli-Palestinian peace process.
|
Sir Lawrence Freedman,
Joanne J. Myers
|
05/20/08
|
Looking back over the last 30 years, historian Sir Lawrence Freedman analyzes the complex politics of the Middle East. He shows how America's policy choices in previous crises have led to the current dilemmas.
In the West the idea of governance by Sharia law is radioactive, says Noah Feldman, yet for many in the Muslim world it represents their aspirations for rule of law. Can Islamic States succeed?
Bernard Haykel sheds light on the inner workings of Saudi Arabia, from the relationship between the government and various Islamic groups, to the position of women and the Kingdom's relationship with the U.S.
|
Ahmed Rashid,
Joanne J. Myers
|
12/14/07
|
Created as a Muslim state 60 years ago this August, Pakistan is in crisis, wrestling with Draconian laws, the conflict between secularism and Islam, and an increasing terrorist threat. Ahmed Rashid, author of "Taliban," analyses the situation.
|
Walter Russell Mead
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10/31/07
|
Walter Russell Mead wittily explains how the individualistic faiths of Britain and America lent themselves so well to the creation of the modern economic and political order.
Garry Wills says that the U.S. separation of church and state both unleashed evangelical feelings and tempered them with reason and rationality. "Putting together the head and the heart is not easy, but we have been most successful as a country when that has happened."
Mark Lilla notes that "it's not contemporary Islam that's the exception", but, "we are the exception. We live on the other shore from those who see political theology as the only way of life, and we need to drop the illusion that we share a common vocabulary."
|
D. Michael Lindsay
|
09/20/07
|
D. Michael Lindsay says that evangelicals have become the new internationalists working at both policy and grassroot levels for more American engagement abroad. How does this affect America and the rest of the world?
Who is bin Laden? What drives him? Peter Bergen is one of the few Westerners who has interviewed bin Laden face to face. In this November 2001 talk, he gives valuable insights into what makes bin Laden tick.
|
Martha Nussbaum,
Joanne J. Myers
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05/03/07
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"If we really want to understand the impact of religious nationalism on democratic values, India currently provides a troubling example, and one without which any more general understanding of the phenomenon is dangerously incomplete."
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Sari Nusseibeh,
Joanne J. Myers
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04/24/07
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In spite of the hatred and frustration on the surface, Palestinian activist and scholar Sari Nusseibeh optimistically believes that deep down there is readiness on the part of both Israelis and Palestinians to make peace.
Over six million Muslims of different backgrounds live in the United States, and for the most part, says Paul Barrett, they are highly assimilated. But in certain areas this group has very different views of the world, and we need to understand their complexity.
Ian Buruma explores what happens when political Islam collides with a secular Western European nation.
Professor Philip Jenkins argues that by the year 2025, Africa and Latin America will have the largest number of Christians in the world. According to Jenkins, this is a different kind of Christianity from that which we are used to in the Global North.
Senator John Danforth argues that religious people should engage in politics, but, he notes, "there is a difference between engaging in politics and transforming politics and government into an extension or an enforcer of your religious point of view."
In order to understand the Arab mistrust of the United States and of the West in general, says Milton Viorst, we must study the turbulent history of the relations between the Christian and Muslim world, particularly the clashes and betrayals since World War I.
|
Milton Viorst,
Jere Van Dyk
|
05/09/06
|
"This is not a new war," says Milton Viorst. "It's the latest chapter in a war that has been going on between two great cultures, Islamic Eastern and the Christian West, for 1,400 years."
In a wide-ranging talk, Professor Philip Jenkins argues that the mid-to-late 1970s were a crucial turning point in religious and political landscapes around the world.
|
Philip Jenkins,
Jere Van Dyk
|
04/20/06
|
Professor Philip Jenkins argues that between 1974 and 1980, "there is a shift in political culture, political rhetoric, which is in a generally conservative direction, although sometimes the people who are pushing that conservatism might label themselves liberals or Democrats."
Based on her interviews with over 300 Muslim leaders in Europe, Jytte Klausen argues that European Muslims are overwhelmingly liberal in outlook. She says that for Muslims in Europe the biggest priority is to build a European Islam, independent of the Islamic countries.
|
Olivier Roy,
Joanne J. Myers
|
03/30/06
|
Roy looks at how Islam is becoming a globalized religion, less linked to culture than many in the West presume. This shift in identity is important to understand if governments are to be effective and just in setting immigration and integration policies, and in combatting terrorists.
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Gershom Gorenberg,
Joanne J. Myers
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03/20/06
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Gershom Gorenberg discusses the history of the Israeli settlements and examines the roadblocks that continue to frustrate the establishment of peaceful relations with the Palestinians.
|
Michael J. Sandel
|
03/08/06
|
Professor Michael Sandel argues that there is an allergy among liberals to using substantive moral, and even religious arguments in politics. Yet, he notes, "it's often not possible, and in any case not desirable, to separate political argument from moral and religious argument."
Steven Waldman, founder of the website beliefnet.com, presents some surprising conclusions about how beliefs affect voting in the United States.
Author John Allen debunks some of the myths that surround Opus Dei, the prelature of the Roman Catholic Church that promotes the sanctity of ordinary daily work. Allen also explains Opus Dei's history, goals, and practices.
Princeton Professor Robert Wuthnow asks whether we are willing to do the hard work required to achieve genuine religious diversity and understanding.
|
Elisabeth Sifton
|
09/20/05
|
Elisabeth Sifton, Reinhold Niebuhr's daughter, reviews her father's legacy and concludes that many of today's Christian leaders are ignoring the radical truths he espoused.
George Weigel ponders the growing--and to him acutely disturbing--secularity of Europe, which he believes raises urgent questions about the future of democracy worldwide.
Video
Philosopher A.C. Grayling has created a non-religious Bible that draws from the wealth of secular literature and philosophy in both Western and Eastern traditions. Whatever your beliefs, you will find food for thought in this wise and witty talk.
Robert Wright's astute analysis uses game theory: a religion that sees itself in a zero-sum relationship with outsiders will prove exclusionist and violent, while a religion that sees itself in a non-zero-sum relationship will adjust its theology accordingly. What does this mean for the future?
|
Francis Fukuyama,
Joel H. Rosenthal
|
05/13/11
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How does Francis Fukuyama view state formation, normative issues, and human behavior? Does he believe (as Andrew Carnegie did) that history moves in an upward direction and we can eventually put an end to war? This fascinating interview explores these questions and more.
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John Tessitore,
Julia Taylor Kennedy
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02/23/11
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As Ethics & International Affairs journal celebrates its 25th anniversary and its move to Cambridge University Press, Editor John Tessitore discusses the journal's mission, its themes, its peer-review process, and its global reach.
More than half of the world's Muslims and Christians live along the tenth parallel in Africa or in Asia. How do these two great intersecting faiths interact?
Bernard Lewis is one of the world's foremost Western scholars on Islam. In this eloquent talk he shares some of his knowledge, and explains how the different world views held by Christians and Muslims can lead to misunderstanding.
What do Nazis, the CIA, and the rise of the Muslim Brotherhood in the West have in common? Journalist Ian Johnson tells the untold story of a group of ex-Soviet Muslims who defected to Germany during World War II has a lesson for today: beware of using religion as a tool.
1.9 million Sunni Muslims have been forced into exile following the Iraq War, says Deborah Amos. What impact is this having on these people's lives, on Iraq, and on the region's delicate balance of power?
Focusing on Muslims in Europe, Ian Buruma argues that religions (including Islam) and liberal democracies are compatible, despite many peoples' fears. Democracy allows space for religion as long as believers obey their society's laws.
The real key to bringing economic and political change to the Muslim world is capitalism, says Vali Nasr. Entrepreneurial middle classes the world over have a stake in the system and are more interested in economic success than religious extremism.
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John L. Esposito
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01/27/10
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Is Islam compatible with democracy and human rights? Will religious fundamentalism block the development of modern societies in the Islamic world? Georgetown's John L. Esposito demolishes some common negative stereotypes about Islam, the fastest growing religion in the world.
In the West the idea of governance by Sharia law is radioactive, says Noah Feldman, yet for many in the Muslim world it represents their aspirations for rule of law. Can Islamic States succeed?
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Joshua S. Fouts,
Rita J. King
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06/18/09
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In an interview for "The Autograph," a program on Iran's PressTV hosted by Susan Modaress, Council Senior Fellows Joshua Fouts and Rita King discuss the potential of virtual worlds for cultural dialogue; better communication between the West and Islamic communities worldwide; and more.
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John Micklethwait,
Adrian Wooldridge
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04/06/09
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John Micklethwait and Adrian Wooldridge argues that God is back as part of politics. On the street and in the corridors of power, religion is surging worldwide. Can religion and modernity thrive together? What impact will the world's rise of faith have in this century?
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Emile A. Nakhleh
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03/05/09
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Nakhleh, the CIA's former point person on Islam, argues that the majority of Muslims strongly oppose terrorism and that an engagement with the Muslim world benefits the national interest of the United States.
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Joshua S. Fouts,
Rita J. King
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01/29/09
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After a year of exploring digital Islamic communities, Senior Fellows Joshua S. Fouts and Rita J. King present their findings, along with video of their virtual explorations on the diplomatic frontier, and a few songs from Iranian hip hop artist Yas.
The neocons and al-Qaeda have both failed to reach their objectives, says Gilles Kepel. We are now facing one big power in the Middle East: Iran.
Prominent Jordanian diplomat Marwan Muasher explains why moderates in the Arab world have made so little headway, and why current Western tactics for dealing with Islamic groups are doomed to fail.
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Sir Lawrence Freedman
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05/19/08
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Looking back over the last 30 years, historian Sir Lawrence Freedman analyzes the complex politics of the Middle East and shows how America's policy choices in previous crises have led to the current dilemmas.
Bernard Haykel sheds light on the inner workings of Saudi Arabia, from the relationship between the government and various Islamic groups, to the position of women and the Kingdom's relationship with the U.S.
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D. Michael Lindsay
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12/07/07
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D. Michael Lindsay says that evangelicals have become the new internationalists working at both policy and grassroot levels for more American engagement abroad. How does this affect America and the rest of the world?
Senator John Danforth argues that religious people should engage in politics, but, he notes, "there is a difference between engaging in politics and transforming politics and government into an extension or an enforcer of your religious point of view."
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Milton Viorst,
Jere Van Dyk
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05/09/06
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"This is not a new war," says Milton Viorst. "It's the latest chapter in a war that has been going on between two great cultures, Islamic Eastern and the Christian West, for 1,400 years."
In order to understand the Arab mistrust of the United States and of the West in general, says Milton Viorst, we must study the turbulent history of the relations between the Christian and Muslim world, particularly the clashes and betrayals since World War I.
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Philip Jenkins,
Jere Van Dyk
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04/20/06
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Professor Philip Jenkins argues that between 1974 and 1980, "there is a shift in political culture, political rhetoric, which is in a generally conservative direction, although sometimes the people who are pushing that conservatism might label themselves liberals or Democrats."
In a wide-ranging talk, Professor Philip Jenkins argues that the mid-to-late 1970s were a crucial turning point in religious and political landscapes around the world.
Review Essays
"The Idea of Justice" summarizes and extends many of the themes Amartya Sen has been engaged with for the last quarter century: economic versus political rights, cultural relativism and the origin of notions such as human rights, and entitlements and their relation to gender equality.
What can the study of the comparative ethics tell us about the similarities and divergences between the just war and jihad traditions? How can the discipline help locate shared concerns, identify persistent differences, and reveal common narratives?
What is the contribution of religious discourse to a productive and reconciliatory response to mass atrocities? In this wide-ranging book, scholars address the philosophical, ethical, sociological, and religious approaches to post-violence politics and societies.
This section contains a round-up of recent notable books in the field of international affairs.
This is a collection of 13 essays, all but two of which are newly commissioned, covering Berlin's multifaceted oeuvre as much as a single book can. The authors are specialists in different fields who do not seem to have much in common except one belief: Berlin matters.
Nussbaum argues that her contribution is as that of a loudspeaker, since she feels that Indian developments are wrongly ignored in the United States and Europe.
This section contains a round-up of recent notable books in the field of international affairs.
Despite North Korea's antipathy to outside religious influence, it is primarily American NGOs with financial backing from religious organizations that have maintained development and exchange programs with the regime.
"Much of the disagreement and controversy over Ramadan's significance arguably stems not from a disagreement over what he is on record as having asserted or done but from unexamined or unarticulated assumptions about liberal principles and what they demand of Muslims."
This volume of collected essays by Michael Walzer seeks to bring a more concentrated focus on specifically Jewish outlooks regarding three key themes: "Political Order and Civil Society"; "Territory, Sovereignty, and International Society"; and "War and Peace."
Are critiques of the "West" peculiar to the Muslim world? Are they a reflection of a simple discontent with the international order or a conservative rejection of Western-originated, universal modernity? How should Western intellectuals and leaders respond to the Muslim critiques?
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Samantha Power,
Peter Ronayne
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11/25/02
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In her Pulitzer Prize winning book, Samantha Power reveals with forceful, regretful, and even angry prose, the stark record: the United States has rarely missed an opportunity to miss an opportunity to stand against genocide.
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Khaled Abou El Fadl
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12/20/00
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To avoid a clash of civilizations competing traditions must engage in discourse and search for grounds of commonality. Understanding differences and overcoming points of dissonance are essential for peaceful coexistence.
Two types of Judeo-Christian perspective stress the imperative to act to relieve suffering and transcend violence: liberation theology and the "religious humanitarian perspective." Both link ethics and action; both influence political debate.
Zohar applies Talmudic views on communal sin to contemporary political discourse by posing the question "Are we our brothers' keepers?" The essay addresses international responsibility to protect victims of oppression worldwide.
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Sohail H. Hashmi
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12/03/93
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In the aftermath of the Cold War, Hashmi proposes this as a long overdue moment for reassessing the UN chapter on intervention, reappraising the value of human rights and justice, and most important, including Islamic thought into the new system.
Global Ethics Corner (Multimedia )
The proposed building of an Islamic community center two blocks from 9/11’s Ground Zero has become a contentious issue. Would building the center promote the American virtues of religious freedom and speech? Or would it be counterproductive and insensitive, even if the intent is pure?
For President Obama, what is the relation between religion and politics?
French President Nicolas Sarkozy recently declared that burqas are not welcome in France. To some, the burqa represents the suppression of women. Yet many Muslim women embrace it. Should states have control over what people wear?
Banning headscarves may violate an individual's right of religious expression and choice. Allowing headscarves may violate a state's commitment to secularism. This short clip on ethics asks: How do we marry public goods and religious imperatives?
Carnegie Ethics Online (Monthly Column)
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John Grim,
Mary Evelyn Tucker
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09/02/09
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John Grim and Mary Evelyn Tucker argue that although the world's religions have been slow to respond to our current environmental crises, their moral authority and their institutional power may help effect a change in attitudes, practices, and public policies.
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Bradley Shingleton
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07/01/08
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Initiatives such as "A Common Word Between Us" and Hans Küng's Global Ethic may mark the beginning of constructive dialogue between the West and the Muslim world.
Articles, Papers, and Reports
A work of taut and absorbing beauty, Christopher de Bellaigue's "Rebel Land" documents the author's journey to and exploration of the area known as eastern Turkey--a.k.a Western Armenia, a.k.a. northern Kurdistan.
According to Robert Pape, suicide bombers the world over are not motivated by religion; they are all secular nationalists resisting foreign occupation. Is there really a single explanation? Erik Schechter disagrees and musters evidence to prove it.
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David C. Speedie
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03/30/10
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U.S. and Russian leaders and Jewish organizations all agree: the U.S. should "graduate" Russia from the JV amendment, which ties freedom of trade benefits to freedom of emigration. JV doesn't help Soviet Jews and it harms Russia's WTO prospects and U.S.-Russia business dealings.
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Joel H. Rosenthal
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01/19/10
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As President Obama completes his first year in office, little attention has been given to a question that sparked raucous argument during the campaign. How would Barack Obama's religious beliefs affect his performance as president?
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Joshua S. Fouts,
Rita J. King
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02/05/09
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This project examines how the Internet can lead to a greater firsthand understanding of Islam for policymakers, diplomats, and people worldwide.
Jere Van Dyk returns to his old haunts in Peshawar and is awed by the faith that
permeates life there. Yet violence is just beneath the surface. He talks to one
Afghan who has once again become a guerrilla leader, and another who was
wrongfully imprisoned in Guantanamo.
"I have said, "Yes" to the question, "Does religious faith have a place in public life?" says John Brademas. "But I must at the same time insist that there be limitations on the relationship."
This 2002 Carnegie Council and Uehiro Foundation for Ethics and Education workshop examines how different religious traditions -- Buddhism, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam -- give adherents the ability to respond with nonviolence to situations of conflict.
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Anthony F. Lang, Jr.
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10/11/02
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This 2002 workshop focuses on the role of Catholicism in U.S. foreign policy. By examining how the American Catholic church has evolved in the United States and what its influence has been on American foreign policy, the participants throw light on the more general problem of whether and how moral norms play a role in international affairs.
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Anthony F. Lang, Jr.
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09/19/02
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How has the Jewish religion tradition addressed violence and war? (Report on a 09/19/02 Carnegie-Georgetown Forum)
Resource Picks
These recommendations from our staff cover a lot of ground both emotionally and geographically, but they all involve some aspect of ethics and international affairs. Please feel free to add your recommendations.
This collection presents perspectives on some of the many challenges facing the new administration. A little over a year is a short time, but is Obama fulfilling his promises?
With the start of the Summer Olympics drawing near, the Carnegie Council presents "Olympic Mettle" and other selected resources on the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games.
The Carnegie Council offers essential resources on Islam and the West, from
discussions of "the clash of civilizations" theory to reports on the
challenges of integrating Muslim immigrants in Europe and the United States.
"To Be Read" Book Review Column
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John E. (Jack) Becker
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03/20/07
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Tyerman lays out the New Testament tradition at the beginning of his treatise on the Crusades, raising the immediate question: how did Crusaders manage to square war with the New Testament?
Three years after the terrorist attacks on American soil, many of us continue to wonder at the mindset of the perpetrators. In the past six months, the Council's Merrill House Programs provided an opportunity to hear from two leading European thinkers on the issue of what motivates jihad, one a scholar of the Middle East and the other a prominent expert on Asia.
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John E. (Jack) Becker
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10/01/03
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Scruton contrasts the structure of Western political life with Islam. Islam then becomes his paradigm for “the rest.” In the West, he says, religion and the state remain essentially distinct. Thus diverse groups can live together peacefully under the secular rule of law. But as for "the rest," they see all law, social identity, and loyalty as coming from a religious source, and therefore cannot truly become part of Western political culture.
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John E. (Jack) Becker
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09/02/02
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Cahill tells two stories, the story of the papacy and the story of John XXIII. The first gives context to the second. And that context--the two-thousand-year-old sweep of papal history--makes John XXIII look very much like a saint.
Though they lacked any state or territory of their own, Jews nevertheless created a distinctive political philosophy, one that deserves systematic scholarly attention.
Elie Wiesel examines today's ethical issues through the role of religion and other factors that dictate our lives. He offers his own experiences and keen observations of the role and definition of ethics in personal and public life. Introduction by Joel H. Rosenthal.
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