Afghanistan Recessional: Will It Lead to a War With Iran?

Afghanistan Recessional: Will It Lead to a War With Iran?

To recover politically Biden and his team must do something kinetic that will be cheered on by the public, which means risky or particularly bold. The evacuation of Americans and at least some vulnerable Afghans from Kabul has ended without further mishap, though questions remain about who might have been left behind in the poorly…

Defining Moderate Islam: Muslims and Evangelicals Forge an Alliance

Defining Moderate Islam: Muslims and Evangelicals Forge an Alliance

A major Muslim and Evangelical organization joined forces this week to significantly advance hitherto state-backed ceremonial inter-faith dialogues that seldom go beyond platitudes and lofty statements. This week’s launch at a Washington DC mosque of an inter-faith alliance and a book published by the Institute for Humanitarian Islam and the Germany-based World Evangelical Alliance (WEA)…

Maneuvering Jerusalem’s Future: Upcoming DC Visit Puts Wind in Jordanian Monarch’s Sails

Maneuvering Jerusalem’s Future: Upcoming DC Visit Puts Wind in Jordanian Monarch’s Sails

US President Joe Biden may have little appetite for Israeli-Palestinian peacemaking but seems determined to prevent some third parties from exploiting the regional stalemate to their advantage. That seems to be one message contained in ensuring that King Abdullah of Jordan will be the first Arab leader to visit the White House since Mr. Biden…

Middle Eastern Powers Vie in Shaping a Next Generation of Muslims

Middle Eastern Powers Vie in Shaping a Next Generation of Muslims

Education is emerging as a major flashpoint in competing visions of a future Muslim world. Rival concepts being instilled in a next generation are likely to shape what amounts to a battle for the soul of Islam. Reports earlier this year published by the Israel-based Institute for Monitoring Peace and Cultural Tolerance in School Education…

Indonesia Potentially Set to Take on China and Claim Leadership of ‘Moderate’ Islam

Indonesia Potentially Set to Take on China and Claim Leadership of ‘Moderate’ Islam

President Joko Widodo’s recent cabinetreshuffle suggests that Indonesia may adopt a more critical attitudetowards China and reinforce government support for efforts by Nahdlatul Ulama(NU), the world’s largest Muslim movement, to reform Islam and position theSoutheast Asian state as a key player in a battlewith Middle Eastern rivals for the soul of Islam. Mr. Widodo signaled…