S. Waqar Hasib (MALD/JD '04)
Since
the overthrow of Shah Mohammed Reza Pahlevi in 1979, Iran can best be
described as a nation of contradictions. Iranians are often shown on
U.S. television burning American flags and chanting "death to America,"
while behind the camera they listen to Madonna, wear Tommy Hilfiger
jeans and watch the latest Los Angeles Lakers games on satellite
dishes. Iran ranks at the top of the U.S. State Department's list of
nations that sponsor terrorism, yet Iranians lit candles and held mass
impromptu vigils in the streets of Tehran for the victims of the
September 11 attacks.
Jan Arno Hessbruegge (MALD '04)
At
the Congress of Vienna in 1815, Emperor Francis of Austria, King
Frederick William of Prussia and Tsar Alexander of Russia formed the
Holy Alliance. While the three monarchs also sought to create a
multilateral counter-pole to France, the dominant European power until
Napoleon's fall, the Holy Alliance was primarily inward-looking in
nature. It was directed against non-state forces. Its key purpose was
to preserve the conservative domestic order of its monarchic members
against the ideological threats of democracy, human rights and
nationalism emanating from the French Revolution.
Rudy Jaafar (MALD '05)
Middle
Eastern countries-particularly in the second half of the twentieth
century-have witnessed the rise of sociopolitical movements that
pressure governments to adopt the Shari'a, or holy law of Islam, as
ultimate arbiter of social and public affairs. The failures of
socialism and pan-Arabism have, more than ever, strengthened the belief
in political Islam as panacea to political and economic woes. These
Islamic movements, coupled with other popular grievances, can often
threaten established regimes and state structures, resulting in violent
armed conflict and chaos.
Rebecca Kinyon (MALD '04)
The
Arab world is rife with friction between secular reformists and
Sharia-minded traditionalists. The significance of this struggle cannot
be underestimated. A way of life is at stake, and the intensity of the
conflict has sparked a revolution against the West. Osama bin Laden,
Saudi billionaire and mastermind behind terrorist attacks, puts a face
to this elusive, and increasingly violent, backlash being waged on U.S.
soil.
Maliha Masood
Perhaps
more than any other time in history, Muslim women today are directly
engaged in the process of questioning Islamic precepts and
socio-politico values. One of the crucial strategies being employed in
this arena is the alternative exegesis of the Qur'an from a woman's
perspective. By readdressing the prevailing patriarchal paradigms
within Islam, these courageous Muslim scholars hope to develop a more
autonomous and authentic female Islamic identity, fostered on
increasing women's rights and fully incorporating the stature of Muslim
women in Islam. Their theoretical and ethical debate differs from the
revivalist male perspectives, by recognizing women as active partners
in the reinterpretation process.
Miriam Netzer (MALD '04)
On
February 23, 1998, Osama bin Laden issued a fatwa, or 'juridical
ruling,' establishing a 'fard 'ayn,' (individual duty) upon all
faithful Muslims to wage holy war against the United States - on its
territory, and against its civilian population-in acts of terror. On
September 12, 2001, prominent Qatar-based cleric, Yusuf Qaradawi,
issued a fatwa condemning the attacks on the World Trade Center and
Pentagon, after praising suicide-bombing missions against Israeli
civilians, as self-defense. Last year, he designated attacks on U.S.
soldiers in Iraq, as acts of 'martyrdom.' On September 12, and December
3, 2001, Sheikh Tantawi, rector of Al-Azhar University, the premier
body of Sunni legal scholarship, issued fatwas condemning attacks on
civilians under any and all circumstances, as fundamentally
'un-Islamic.' However, he issued a further fatwa last March proclaiming
the killing of American soldiers in Iraq, an 'individual duty,' for
Muslims, to act in defense of their Iraqi brethren.
Jim Ruvalcaba (Fletcher International Security Studies Program Military Fellow, 2003-4)
Many
questions have been posited as to which tactics, strategies, and
policies, are best and should be employed to counter the insurgent
threat in Iraq. Many argue that the military should be the primary
instrument involved whereas others argue that more emphasis should be
placed on the diplomatic and economic instruments to resolve this
threat. However, before anyone can attempt to argue in favor of any
recommendation, option, or policy, it is important to understand the
problem. The purpose of this article is to provide an understanding of
Iraq's insurgency using the detailed framework for analysis developed
by Dr. Bard O'Neill and described in his book, Insurgency and
Terrorism. This broad framework analyzes insurgencies by examining the
international system, domestic context, goals, purpose, means utilized,
and strategies. From this analysis, the nature of the insurgency, type,
the problems they pose, and the requirements they place on respective
actors can be determined. 1 Therefore, with such an understanding,
individuals will be better prepared to assess the tactics, strategies,
and policies that are recommended and possibly employed in addressing
this threat.