Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in articles are strictly the author's own, and do not necessarily represent those of Al Nakhlah, its Advisory and Editorial Boards, or the Program for Southwest Asia and Islamic Civilization (SWAIC) at The Fletcher School.
Nicholas Gossen
Despite lack luster economic performance in Iran since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, the political legitimacy of the regime remains intact, suggesting strong non-economic bases of support.
Geoffrey Gresh
The former Central Asian republics of the Soviet Union are undergoing expansive socio-economic changes since the disintegration of the USSR.The legacy of Soviet central planning held back substantial developmentin the countries until the rise of Islamic banking and finance among the six Muslim republics of the former Soviet Union. As a result, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, and Kyrgyzstan are undergoing an accelerated pace of development today.
Matan Chorev
Semi-states inhabit the central conflict fault-lines of Southwest Asia's strategic landscape at the dawn of the twenty-first century. This case study of Iraqi Kurdistan seeks to advance analytical frameworks for comprehending the internal dynamics and statecraft of these entities inorder to contribute to the design of effective conflict management approaches.
Casey Johnson
Charisma in Modern Islamic Revolutionary Movements: The Case of Ahmad Shah Massoud
Though it is clear that charisma plays an important role in leadership, particularly with regards to revolutionary movements, the nature ofthis role, how it is cultivated and how it evolves is not well understood. This study examines the particular role of charisma in modern Islamic revolutionary movement, with a particular look at the case of Ahmad Shah Massoud.
Rebecca Hekman
Areview of the recent publication of leading Islamic Finance Scholar,Ibrahim Warde, The Price of Fear: The Truth Behind the Financial War onTerror. Warde skillfully reveals the many paradoxes and problems with the other 9/11-inspired war, the so-called war on terrorist financing.
Michael Mylrea
Aninterview with Itamar Rabinovich, Isreal’s former Ambassador to the United States and chief negotiator with Syria. Rabinovich reflects upon the current attempts at peace by the Bush Administration and the general climate for peace in the Middle East.