Arabist Snobs

Knowledge of Arabic does not protect against ideology, faddism, pedantry or misinformation.

US Middle East Policy Muddle: To Democratize, Or Not to Democratize?

Summing up the West’s policy dilemma vis-à-vis the Middle East: Democracy pleases us but brings hostile elements to power; tyranny betrays our principles but leaves pliable rulers in power.

The Canadian Muslim Difference

It makes obvious intuitive sense that Muslims disagree among themselves – what group of people does not?

Obama’s Misplaced Mideast Optimism

As Obama’s disliked domestic policies (especially concerning healthcare and employment) sink his popularity, he now claims foreign policy successes.

Tyrants, Beware!

Mu’ammar al-Qaddafi is the sixth tyrant on the lam in the past decade to be captured or executed; that leaves only Mullah Omar, the former Taliban leader, on the loose, hiding like a common criminal.

Enter Cyprus, Stage Left? Or Right?

Cyprus, an island near Turkey and Syria of roughly 1.3 million inhabitants, finds itself on the cusp of momentous change. As it belatedly makes its grand debut on the world stage after domestic Greek-Turkish communal issues have consumed its first 51 years of independence, it faces both great opportunity and great danger.

A Rogue Turkey

In a Middle East wracked by coups d’état and civil insurrections, the Republic of Turkey credibly offers itself as a model thanks to its impressive economic growth, democratic system, political control of the military, and secular order. But, in reality, Turkey may be, along with Iran, the most dangerous state of the region.

Dueling Fatwas

Reciprocal death sentences raging between Yemen and the United States offer a glimpse of warfare in the internet age.
The topic opens with South Park, an iconoclastic adult cartoon program on Comedy Central, which in April mocked the prohibition on… Read More

Two Decades of the Rushdie Rules

From a novel by Salman Rushdie published in 1989 to an American civil protest called “Everyone Draw Muhammad Day” in 2010, a familiar pattern has evolved. It begins when Westerners say or do something critical of Islam. Islamists respond with… Read More

The Rushdie Rules Reach Florida

Pastor Terry Jones’ plan to burn copies of the Koran at his church in Gainesville, Florida, let it be emphasized, is a distasteful act that fits an ugly tradition. That said, two other points need be noted: Buying books and… Read More

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