Suchergebnisse

The election of Hassan Rouhani to Iran's presidency in June 2013 once more raised the hopes that the Iranian regime could reform itself and improve its relations with the outside world, especially the United States of America. However, to what extent these expectations are justified? Have Iran's conditions changed sufficiently to enable Rouhani to succeed, while other reformers like Muhammad Khatami, Iran's president from 1997 to 2005 failed? This article analyzes the causes of the failure of earlier reformers in Iran, notably Khatami, and will distinguish between the more structural barriers to reform in the Islamic Republic and those related to the dynamics of various political groups. It will also assess the impact of external factors, especially the US attitude toward Iran's reformers on Khatami's failure. It will then discuss to what extent Iran's current internal conditions and the dynamics of its external environment will affect Rouhani's chances of success.

"The article deals with the large Muslim presence in Europe which is facing European countries, as well as Muslim communities, with multifaceted and difficult issues and challenges of integration. The biggest problem in tackling the integration challenge is that no one can agree on what precisely integration means. Many Europeans equate integration with assimilation, while Muslims are fearful of the term as a code word for the erasing of their religion and culture. Yet, there are clear criteria according to which the level of Muslim integration in Europe can be measured and future integration promoted: These are, legal, linguistic/ educational, economic, civil, cultural and psychological criteria. Judged on these criteria the degree of Muslim integration is far from satisfactory. Yet the several problems would be insurmountable if both Muslims and Europeans realized that integration is a two way process; Muslims must be willing to integrate and the Europeans must be willing to accept them." (author's abstract)

Even in today's globalizing world where many traditional barriers to communication seem to be disappearing, conflicts about territorial & ethnic borders continue to bedevil many regions of the world. The Caucasus region-both North & South-stands out in terms of active or latent disputes about territorial & ethnic borders. A number of geopolitical & historical factors, coupled with the new dynamics of international & regional relations in the post-Soviet area, account for this situation. Indeed, it could be argued safely that the Caucasus' current predicament is the result of it's turbulent history, especially the period related to the Soviet domination of the region. Adapted from the source document.

An exploration of religion & politics in Central Asia notes that neither Islam nor liberal democracy has filled the ideological vacuum left by the collapse of communism. Instead, the rapid growth of Islam has been accompanied by the formation of political systems described as "secular authoritarianisms." It is argued that the Taliban's seizure of power in Afghanistan had a significant impact on the political dynamics in Central Asia. The threat of Islamic extremism has led to a strengthening of authoritarian tendencies & a lessening of democratic freedoms. The seriousness of the threat is evaluated in relation to each state's historical experiences, internal conditions, regional rivalries/disputes, & international interests. It is concluded that the legacy of the Russo-Afghan conflict has hindered post-independence nation-building; the intensification of regional rivalries has worsened internal development while created an unpredictable external environment; Islam's cultural/political growth has stifled democratic trends; radicalization has increased authoritarianism; & the pursuit of their own interests on the part of international forces has enhanced the growth of Islamic radicalism. J. Lindroth