Rehabilitation and Deradicalization: Saudi Arabia’s Counterterrorism Successes and Failures
Journalist Rob L. Wagner examines Saudi Arabia’s “soft” rehabilitation program to return Islamic extremists to the “true Islam.” Although the program in its seven-year history has suffered setbacks, its 10 percent recidivism rate points to potential long-term success. The program mixes religion and tough love to return reformed militants to Saudi society in a culture that guards its privacy and values its dignity. With more than 3,000 men successfully passing through the program, Al-Qaeda sees the Saudi government’s efforts as a threat to the group’s recruiting efforts to win the hearts and minds of young Saudis.
RE: To Drive, or Not to Drive; Not a Question for Saudi Women
RE: To Drive, or Not to Drive; Not a Question for Saudi Women Author: Rob L. Wagner Originally Published at Peace and Conflict Monitor on: 02/10/2010 Dear Editor: I read with growing alarm Jaclyn Nardone’s essay entitled “To Drive, or Not to Drive; Not a Question for Saudi Women.” If this essay was meant […]
Dealing with the International Saracens
Oduesp Eman comments on a controversial deal between the Somali Transitional Government and Saracen International, a private security contractors with a dubious record.
Half-Accomplished Libyan ‘Civil War of Liberation’
In this provocative piece on the aftermath of the death of former Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi, Hriday Ch. Sarma comments on projections for the future of Libya under the leadership of the National Transitional Council. Describing the current situation in the country as one of ‘dormant violence’, Sarma warns that “if the democratization process is not carried out with utmost caution, the multi-ethnic and presently extensively armed state of Libya will soon turn into another Afghanistan.”
Gaddafi, Sodomy, and Liberal Peace
Dr Fontan discusses the graphic and disturbing video of Libyan rebels sodomizing and beating Muammar Gaddafi during his capture, released by GlobalPost, in reference to the doctrine of responsibility to protect (R2P), as well as democratization, humiliation, and the liberal peace paradigm.
Egypt: History in the Making
Dr Amr Abdallah reflects on the ongoing social and political changes in Egypt, noting the remarkably peaceful and democratic nature of the protests, even in the face of police brutality and opportunistic looters, and the real changes these events represent for mainstream media and authoritarian politicians in the country and across the region.
Let the Revolution Grow!
Dr Abdallah comments on the ongoing protests in Egypt, advising that demonstrators maintain a firm commitment to non-violence as a practical strategy to achieve much needed and revolutionary political change in the country.
Kefaya
Kefaya Author: Annonymous from Egypt Originally Published at Peace and Conflict Monitor on: 02/08/2011 “Where the people fear the government you have tyranny. Where the government fears the people you have liberty” – John Basil Barnhill. There are no words which better captures the plight of the Egyptian people. For over thirty years the […]
News from Syria
News from Syria Author: Harout Akdedian Originally Published at Peace and Conflict Monitor on: 08/05/2011 On the 4th of July, on my way to Syria, I was reading a book entitled Between Equal Rights by China Miéville. The book was a Marxian perspective on international law and the title was borrowed from Marx’s famous […]
New Year, Old Conflicts: Nuclear crises in 2011 and their implications for US-China relations
Rob van Riet follows three conflicts with nuclear potential — rising tensions on the Korean peninsula, continued animosity between the US and Iran, and the persistent India-Pakistan dispute — set against the backdrop of shifting Sino-American relations. While each of these conflicts has a potential to undermine efforts toward international security, and may trigger war on a nuclear scale, van Riet argues, much will depend on the willingness and ability of US and Chinese leaders to work together towards their resolution.