Archive for 'Politics'
Narrative Closure Eludes Obama in Latest Speech
The president announced that we were “turning the page” on Operation Freedom; but what he failed to do was close the book.
Posted: September 1st, 2010 under Afghanistan, Analysis, Bush, Framing, Iraq, Narrative, Obama, Politics.
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A New Strategy for Somalia
by R. Bennett Furlow To say Somalia has problems would be the very definition of an understatement. Piracy has certainly received its share of attention, primarily because it is sensational and somewhat easy to comprehend. The chaos in the south also gets some attention due to the rise of Islamists groups and the potential for [...]
Posted: July 7th, 2010 under Islam, Movements, Politics, Somaila.
Comments: 1
Theology and Creed in Sunni Islam
by Jeffry R. Halverson The following is a summary of some arguments from my new book, Theology and Creed in Sunni Islam: The Muslim Brotherhood, Ash’arism, and Political Sunnism, published by Palgrave Macmillan. It offers an explanation of why fundamentalist literal interpretations of the Qu’ran have so much influence in contemporary Islamist extremism, and why [...]
Posted: May 18th, 2010 under Analysis, Government, Islam, Movements, Muslim Brotherhood, Politics, Publications, Religion.
Comments: 2
Obama’s Nobel Speech Opens Narrative Possibilities
by Bud Goodall In Thursday’s Nobel acceptance speech, President Obama delivered the powerful narrative I had hoped to hear in his previous West Point address on Afghanistan. I was critical of the West Point address due to: “the absence of a compelling narrative that links who we are, as a people, to what we are trying [...]
Posted: December 14th, 2009 under Analysis, Framing, Narrative, Obama, Politics, Strategic Comm..
Comments: 2
Growing UK Turmoil Over War Casualties
by Steven R. Corman A colleague in the UK military recently sent an e-mail remarking on the brewing controversy in the UK about casualties from the war in Afghanistan. Growing numbers of citizens are witnessing “repatriations” of dead soldiers, and Prime Minister Brown is under fire for botched communication with a grieving mother. Brits are [...]
Posted: November 18th, 2009 under Afghanistan, Politics, Sensemaking.
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The Afghanistan Narrative Gap and Its Consequences
by Bud Goodall One of the important challenges of President Obama’s administration is to sell the continuation of our “overseas contingency operation” (or perhaps FATAVE) in Afghanistan to an increasingly disenchanted audience at home and abroad. But there is a worrisome absence of a good narrative–a coherent collection of stories–about why we are there and [...]
Posted: October 7th, 2009 under Afghanistan, Defense Dept., Government, Media, Narrative, Obama, Politics, Strategic Comm..
Comments: 3
Getting to the Bottom of Explosive Rumors Concerning Noordin Top
by Chris Lundry Dwarfed by the stories of the earthquake tragedy in Padang, yesterday Indonesian media picked up a sensational statement issued at the Jakarta police headquarters. According to police spokesman Nanan Sukarna, police investigators have discovered evidence that the corpse of Jemaah Islamiyah’s Noordin Top showed signs of anal trauma consistent with sodomy, leading to speculation that [...]
Posted: October 1st, 2009 under Indonesia, Islam, Language, Media, Politics, Popular Culture, Southeast Asia.
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Noordin Top and Latent Conflict Between Indonesia and Malaysia
The 17 September death of Noordin Top at the hands of Indonesia’s anti terror squad Densus 88 brought a sense of relief to many in Southeast Asia. Noordin was Southeast Asia’s most wanted terrorist. Following the July 17 hotel bombings in Jakarta, a message attributed to him signaled a split from Jemaah Islamiyah (JI), and [...]
Posted: September 28th, 2009 under Analysis, Politics, Southeast Asia.
Comments: 3
When it Comes to Elections, the Taliban Aren’t Very Good Students
by Jeffry Halverson* In the run-up to today’s Afghan elections, the Taliban have been asserting that participation is un-Islamic. But this infidel thinks these students (Talib translates as “student”) deserve an F. A recent New York Times Op-Ed by Mirwais Ahmadzai, a program manager with the Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission, reports the appearance of ominous [...]
Posted: August 20th, 2009 under Afghanistan, Analysis, Government, Islam, Politics, Sensemaking.
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Bombing Reactions by Indonesian Groups are Telling
by Mark Woodward On 17 July 17 2009, Indonesia and the world were shocked by another round of terrorist attacks. Two powerful bombs exploded in the J.W. Marriott and Ritz- Carlton hotels in Jakarta, Indonesia. Another was found and defused in a hotel room the bombers had rented. I am currently visiting Indonesia and have [...]
Posted: July 22nd, 2009 under Analysis, Counterterrorism, Framing, Indonesia, Islam, Movements, Muslim Brotherhood, Politics, Sensemaking, Suicide Bombing.
Comments: 1