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CIAO DATE: 01/05
Volume 8, Number 3 (July-September 2004)
Fragmentation and Integration: Simultaneous Trends
Iraq: A Turning Point in Global Consciousness?
Frank Bracho argues that, if the tragic international events of the last three years have had any positive impact, it is because they have aroused a worldwide grassroots awareness that wars of aggression are inexcusable and that modern weapons are a threat to all life on the planet. National unilateralism can no longer be tolerated in an age of global interdependence, which calls for non-violence and human unity.
The American "Victory" in Iraq, Context and Consequences
The apparent victory over Iraq claimed by the US government at the end of "major military operations" in the spring of 2003 has turned out to be pyrrhic as Prithvi Ram Mudiam points out. Mired in a bloody, unending civil war, the Bush government has lost credibility and has attracted worldwide condemnation and resentment. The Iraq war, planned as a stunning demonstration of American supremacy has instead shown the limits of that power.
The Democracy Conundrum in Central Asia
Apratim Mukarji analyses Washington's claims to uphold and protect democracy in the context of the strategically important Central Asian region. The US seeks to dominate that area, in view of its vast energy reserves, openly challenging Russia in its historic backyard but without paying much attention to the dictatorial character of many of the post-Soviet regimes.
Madrassas and Sectarian Violence in Pakistan
Vivek Kumar Mishra seeks to find out why Pakistan is increasingly torn apart by sectarian strife. The "jehadi" militancy of the madrasas (Quranic schools), spurred by the Afghan war since 1979, has contributed to the rise of a new generation of "Islamic warrior-students" which the government, long a sponsor of the process of radicalisation, can no longer control. Pakistan is a case study of the problem facing many other Muslim nations.
Towards A New Era Of Islamic-Western Relations
The injustices of the international economic system and the hardships inflicted on poorer nations by liberalisation and globalisation fuel widespread anger and thereby foster terrorism. Jason Ben-Meir believes that community development programmes, designed to provide new employment opportunities and improve the natural environment, can help heal the rift between western powers and Muslim countries. These programmes must become an integral part of foreign policy planning.
Regional Approaches to Transnational Organized Crime: Role of ASEAN and SAARC
Bharti Chhibber stresses that both South and Southeast Asia are directly and critically affected by the twin scourges of drug trade and terrorism. Regional cooperation, within the political frameworks provided by SAARC and ASEAN, is required to deal with those major problems effectively, but it has made slow progress so far, due to persistent interstate enmities and concerns to protect national sovereignty.
The EU in the Balkans: Promoting an Elite Security Community
Emilian Kavalski studies the mechanism applied by the European Union for gradually coopting the countries of the troubled Balkan region by offering them rules and rewards for complying with communitarian norms and practices. Thus the EU fosters peaceful interactions and socio-economic integration, primarily by including the elites of those countries in its regulatory process.
Review Essay: Islam and the West
Angelo Rasanayagam portrays four different academic schools of thought on the problems faced by Muslim societies in the present and the past and he highlights the obvious difficulties met by the various attempts to "modernise" Islam.
Documents
India-ASEAN Free Trade Agreement, Bali, October 8, 2003
Framework Agreement On Economic Cooperation Between The Republic of India and The Member States Of The Cooperation Council For The Arab States of the Gulf, New Delhi, August 25, 2004
UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan's Address to The 59th General Assembly, New York, September 21, 2004
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