The hostage situation at a hotel in the Malian capital comes after months of sporadic violence. After a week in which Europe was rocked by terrorism on the streets of Paris, gunmen entered the Radisson Blu Hotel in Bamako, the capital of Mali, on November 20. A hostage situation unfolded and...
The failure of African states to adequately address their differences has provided the fertile ground on which rebel groups now prosper. Africa arguably faces the biggest threat to political stability since the collapse of colonialism in the mid-20th century. The threat comes from the...
Following the brutal murder of Avijit Roy, another writer has been killed in Bangladesh. Washiqur Rahman, a Bangladeshi blogger, was hacked to death on the streets of Dhaka on March 30. Two men were taken into custody and police are still looking for a third. Rahman, aged 27, used satire...
The jihadist assaults in Paris on Charlie Hebdo have sparked allegations of a failure by French intelligence and security agencies. The attacks in Paris on the satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo and a Jewish supermarket, as well as two French police officers, have prompted analysts and the media...
The following is an extract from George Joffé’s essay, “The Arab Intifada in Perspective,” as he discusses the role of Islamist parties in Tunisia, Egypt and Morocco. To appreciate what has actually happened in the Arab world as a result of what in the West is called the...
A brief look at the interplay of Islam and political thought at a time when Islamist movements are gaining unprecedented access to the highest levels of power. Background The history of Islam and politics encompasses a wide variety of thinkers and political ideas. It is pivotal to understand...
Tariq Ramadan, Professor of Contemporary Islamic Studies at Oxford University, speaks to Heather McRobie and Rosemary Bechler about the political and economic dynamics of the Arab Uprisings. This is the first of two parts. Heather McRobie: I’d like to begin with the concept of Islamic...
Fawaz Gerges, Founding Director of the Middle East Centre at the London School of Economics, speaks to Arabic Knowledge@Wharton about how Islamists are really interested in becoming the Arab World's new capitalists. When the Muslim Brotherhood took power in Egypt, there was fear that draconian...
