Laying the Blame
Bernard Lewis, What Went Wrong: The Clash Between Islam and Modernity in the Middle East, Perennial (HarperCollins), 2003, ISBN 0-6-051605-4, PB, pp.186
Bernard Lewis argues that Islamic fundamentalism (thus terrorism) is a result of the failure of Islam to produce modern societies and nation states, and the best prescription for the current violent conflicts between the West and the Islamic world is the spread of modernism.
More in Sorrow Than in Anger
Emmanuel Todd’s best seller has been translated into English. Todd predicted the fall of the Soviet Empire and twenty five years later he is diagnosing the current ills of the other super-power. What has gone down well with the Franco-German readership may be greeted more cynically in the Anglo-American world.
Nice portraits
David Halberstam, War in a Time of Peace: Bush, Clinton, and the Generals, Simon and Schuster, 2002. ISBN 0-7432-2323-3 (Pbk) pp. 557
A socioenvironmental success story? The World Bank thinks so.
A MODEL FOR SOCIAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL ADMINISTRATION IN THE HYDROCARBON SECTOR
Is it just madness?
Some places like Sarajevo are apparently getting back to normal, but normality seems a long way off in the former Yugoslavia, especially in Bosnia-Herzegovina. Some victims who survived can still see their torturers walking around living “normal” lives but only say “I don’t know why this happened.” Some victims go far away and try to forget. Others like Adir, a Muslim and former judge, searches incessantly and compulsively for bodies. Others struggle against the memories and fend off the madness, often without success, and the effects of post-traumatic stress are everywhere to add to grotesque physical maiming. In Madness Invisible, Janine di Giovanni tells her story of reporting the wars there.
Measuring disarmament
Bonn International Center for Conversion, Conversion Survey 2003: Global Disarmament, Demilitarization and Demobilization, Feb 2003, pp. 180ISBN 3-8329-0135-3.
www.bicc.de
The Bonn International Center for Conversion, directed currently by Dr. Peter Croll, was founded in 1994, and, among its many activities associated with disarmament and conversion largely funded by the State of North Rhine-Westphalia in Germany, it has published the Conversion Survey 2003.
The Poor are Always with Us
“Focus on Social Inequalities,” Editors Penny Babb, Jean Martin and Paul Haezewindt, Office for National Statistics – London TSO, December 2004.
“Focus on Social Inequalities” describes the different experiences of social groups in the UK today in six key areas: education, work, income, living standards, health, and participation. It looks at the ‘advantaged’ as well as the ‘disadvantaged’ and explores the relative differences between them.
Peace by Pieces
Mari Fitzduff, Beyond Violence: Conflict Resolution Process in Northern Ireland, United Nations University Press & INCORE 2002, pp.233 ISBN 92-808-1078-2
Re-defining the IMU
The Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan is considered by governments around the world – most notably the United States – to be a terrorist organization associated with al-Qaeda. But a close look at the group and its declared goals paints, instead, a picture of political struggle against a truly oppressive regime.
The Weapon is Patience
Nonviolent Soldier of Islam: Badshah Khan. A Man to Match the Mountains, By Eknath Easwaran, Nilgiri Press, 2002 (Second Edition). At a time when Islam is becoming increasingly and thoughtlessly associated with terrorism, and has come to replace the “menace of Communism”, one author has reissued his book on the “Muslim Gandhi”.