It is not the first time leaders of the civilized world have had to cope with a slide into barbarism which not only threatens international peace and stability but the very foundations of modern morality. Nor is it the first time that American … [Read more...] about Barbarity*
Balkans
The Muslim Brotherhood: Breaking Rice Bowls
"Wealth and children are an ornament of life of the world." Sura 18:47. Let no one doubt. Within Islam, no censure is assigned to the personal accumulation of wealth. And no known member of the Muslim Brotherhood (Ikhwan al-Muslimun) has been … [Read more...] about The Muslim Brotherhood: Breaking Rice Bowls
Turkey, Erdogan, and the Muslim Brotherhood in Iraq
A recent photograph taken on 16 April 2014, which appeared in Turkey's Hurriyet Daily, shows an injured ISIL commander, Abu Muhammad, allegedly receiving free treatment in Turkey's Hatay State Hospital. It was reported that Commander Muhammad was … [Read more...] about Turkey, Erdogan, and the Muslim Brotherhood in Iraq
Islam and Security in Bosnia-Herzegovina*
Left: Mujaheddin in Bosnia Eighteen years after the Dayton Agreement we hear little, if anything, about Bosnia. Though politicians such as President Bill Clinton and his envoy, the late Richard Holbrooke, were credited with ending the violence, it … [Read more...] about Islam and Security in Bosnia-Herzegovina*
Qatar: Small Nation, Large Schemes
One could wager that these days few recall the works of Bismarck, Mahan, Haushofer, or the once puissant geopolitical theories of the Rimland and Heartland. And more recently, one wonders if even the study and evaluation of Realpolitik is anathema in … [Read more...] about Qatar: Small Nation, Large Schemes
Shi’a Jihadis in Syria
Left: Group picture of Shi'ite foreign fighters in the Abu al-Fadhel al-Abbas Brigade, a military unit composed mainly of militia operatives from Iraq. In white is Qasim al-Ta'i, a prominent Shi'ite Iraqi cleric who recruits Shi'ite operatives for … [Read more...] about Shi’a Jihadis in Syria
The Ideology of Militant Islamism in Southeastern Europe
Since the fall of communism two and a half decades ago, militant Islamism has been planting seeds and spreading roots in various parts of southeastern Europe, particularly the former Yugoslavia. With the help of local allies, militant Islamists have … [Read more...] about The Ideology of Militant Islamism in Southeastern Europe
“Our Goal is Jerusalem” – Militant Islamists in Southeast Europe
Over the past several years, the Balkans has emerged as a new battleground for militant Islamism. [i] In June 2010, Islamist extremists bombed a police station in the central Bosnian town of Bugojno, killing one police officer and wounding six … [Read more...] about “Our Goal is Jerusalem” – Militant Islamists in Southeast Europe