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ABSTRACT Political risk analysis has historically used the nation-state as the principal unit of analysis. However, in the era of globalisation and regionalism, it is questioned whether the analysis of [...]

ABSTRACT This article traces four contested identity claims that carry gender meanings into politics and express the gendered tensions awakened along specific dimensions of institutional change across the past twenty [...]

The growing convergence between the forces of Islamist militancy and the 'anti-imperialist' left in the world is discussed, while tracking the struggle or jihad of the Islamists against the socialists through the 20th century. The fact that the radical left and the Islamist parties are totally opposed on women's rights, secularism and free speech, and also that the Islamist program does not include internationalism, should serve to separate the left from the jihad of the Islamists.

The Islamic revolution of 1979 was the result of a grand coalition of diverse forces united against the ancient regime. (1) Although the religious dimension eventually became supreme, the revolutionary [...]

The politics of Arab countries is influenced by the internal battles between Islamic fundamentalists and those who advocate secular nationalism. Countries like Saudi Arabia must resolve this internal conflict before there will be peace.

While most nations have refused to recognize the Taliban as the legitimate government of Afghanistan, for all practical purposes, the Taliban rule the country. As of late January 1999, the [...]

Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto's government was dismissed from office by President Farooq Leghari on Nov 5, 1996. Leghari, whose actions were supported by the military and judiciary, pledged new elections would be held on Feb 3, 1997. During Bhutto's three years in office, Pakistan's traditional political elite showed itself unable to provide good government. Pakistan's economy is near bankruptcy and may default on its foreign debt. Islamic fundamentalist parties are gaining support and engineered the Oct 27-28, 1996 demonstrations in Islamabad that brought down the government.

Two potent forces - the rise of militant Islam and the resurgence of nationalism - have attracted attention to North Africa, the site of 'some of the most active and [...]

Outside powers have intervened in Afghanistan's four-year civil war because the war's outcome is likely to influence regional politics as well as Islamic fundamentalism's spread in the Middle East, Central Asia and India. Iran, Russia and India back President Burhanuddin Rabbani because of a fear of Islamic fundamentalism's spread, while Pakistan and some Arab Gulf states back the Islamic fundamentalist Taliban movement. The US has not exerted pressure on these countries through the UN Security Council to stop interference, dismaying the Afghan public and the UN mediator. The civil war is likely to continue.

Islamism in the Horn of Africa represents no destabilizing danger, and in the right circumstances it promotes stability. Many Western pundits predict the rise of Islamic fundamentalism as the next great external threat, but this is primarily in reaction to the decline of communism and socialism. The main axis of social division in the Horn is ethnic rivalry, which does not coincide with religious differences. In those places where Islam already is the dominant religion and social order is failing, Islamic fundamentalism helps.

Islamic fundamentalism, which opposes liberal democracy, took root in Arab countries due to the Arab regimes' promoting pre-industrial welfare states, which discourage the growth of ideology-based groups and encourage identity-based groups. The failure of the regimes to fulfill their goals and the absence of regular elections distanced the people from the rulers. Islamists used moral standards to judge the governments and decided that only a government run on Islamic principles would succeed. However, they also have the same pattern of governing as the regimes they replaced.

No one who reads or writes about events in the Muslim world can avoid the question of how to label those Muslims who invoke Islam as the source of authority [...]

Sudan's improving relations with Iran are a source of concern to both the country's neighbors and the West. The country's Islamization had progressed to the point that all government decisions were being made according to Islamic law by the late 1980s. Iran's involvement arose due to the country's regional ambitions, particularly its interest in impacting the Middle Eastern peace negotiations and in promoting Islamic fundamentalism abroad. The fact that the Sudan and Iran belong to different Islamic traditions may impede a closer connection between them.

The character of Islam as being one of the dominant religion of Africa and the spillover of Middle East fundamentalism has fostered the significance of Islam beyond the limits of African domestic politics. However, the practice of African Islam in different states are uniquely diverse. This character is greatly affected by African Mysticism, the pressure of change and the relationship of the Arabs and Blacks. The avoidance of foreign influence is prescribed so that African Islam can become more constructive.

Can one negotiate with Muslim fundamentalists? The United States is in the process of testing this crucial question, on which may hang the future of Western relations with the Muslim [...]

Afghanistan has the potential to be the kind of economic success that is powerful enough to limit the appeal of Islamic fundamentalism. An enhanced U.S.-E.U. (European Union) cooperation in formulating an integrated economic and security strategy for Afghanistan can enable improvement in infrastructure, agriculture and thereby employment opportunities which can prevent Afghanistan from going the Iraq way.

The future of Malaysia after the retirement of the prime Minster Dr. Mahathir Mohamad is discussed. Mahathir's successor will face the difficult task of reconciling increasing Islamism with the modernist path that has transformed Malaysia into an economic dynamo.

The author believes that the American attack on Iraq will heighten the political disaffection of Islamic militants in the Middle East, leading to more terrorist actions. The Iraq War confirmed the beliefs of many Arabs that the United States wants to take control of the Middle East and its oil.

This article addresses Western concerns regarding the 'Talibanization' of the Persian Gulf region. The author, focusing on Bahrain, Kuwait, and Qatar, maintains the concerns regarding the capture of these countries' parliaments by fundamental Islamists are exaggerated in that the ruling families are too deeply entrenched to be ousted by Islamists.

damn yankees Since last year's attacks on New York and Washington, the conventional wisdom about the motivation behind such deadly terrorism has gelled. The violence, we are often told, was [...]

The author believes that Islamic militants use many of the same techniques used by militant communists. Their goal is to engage the enemy, in this case, the United States, on many fronts, dividing the enemy's attention.

The author believes that Islamic fundamentalism is not a reaction to countries being excluded from globalization, but instead is a form of political dissent against the totalitarian and authoritarian regimes that came into power in the Middle East because of globalization. Further support of these governments by the United States may increase hostility.

The recent mushrooming of hundreds of illegal Islamic extremist groups in Moslem countries are a potential problem to Russia. Such political groups espouse the use of terror, take part in the sale of narcotics and weapons and oppose the peaceful or political resolution of conflicts in their areas. Russia could partly tackle this threat by adjusting its foreign policy. It could avoid antagonizing these extremists by avoiding the imposition of European values and stereotypes on the region. It should enhance its image as a mediator in the Middle East.