Vol. 8, No. 3 (Fall 2010)
This theme issue is devoted to exploring some of the contributions—both negative and positive—that religion does or could make to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. As a special feature, this issue also includes edited transcripts of a panel series on the Middle East that was co-sponsored by the Institute for Global Engagement and Nyack College's Institute for Public Service & Policy Development.
The Only Way Out is Through ... Religion?
Dennis Hoover Thursday, 16 September 2010
At the moment, prospects are dim for a comprehensive peace agreement that results in a viable state for the Palestinians and a secure state of Israel. It would be easier if a durable peace could be achieved on the basis of purely pragmatic and materialistic negotiation, but the only realistic way forward now may require a proactive, creative, and sustained effort to make religion part of the solution. [FREE]
Faith or Fanaticism?: A Dialogue on the Problem and Promise of Faith in the Middle East
Michael Gerson, Michael Ostrolenk, Gregory Khalil, Suhail Khan Thursday, 16 September 2010
Religion can reinforce tribal loyalties that lead to hatred and violence, but it also happens to be one of the oldest, deepest, most universal needs of the human soul. The best kind of religious witness is being willing to break a cycle of retribution and to try to establish something different. [FREE]
Read more: Faith or Fanaticism?: A Dialogue on the Problem and Promise of Faith in the Middle East
Cries for Justice: A Dialogue on Social Justice in the Middle East
E.J. Dionne, Jr., Michael Ostrolenk, Gregory Khalil, Suhail Khan Thursday, 16 September 2010
There are forms of empathy toward Israel and toward the Palestinians. Our challenge as Christians is to find ways of bringing these two forms together. Peacemakers need to begin with the idea that the solution is available and that the task is to find practical remedies.
Read more: Cries for Justice: A Dialogue on Social Justice in the Middle East
Overcoming Violence: A Dialogue on Conflict Resolution in the Middle East
Andrea Bartoli, Michael Ostrolenk, Mubarak Awad, Suhail Khan Thursday, 16 September 2010
Conflict resolution is especially serious when violence is involved because violence can make anything tainted and disfigured. Christians should look at the realities that have been created in the name of what is sacred, with the humility to feel the obligation to repent and do better.
Read more: Overcoming Violence: A Dialogue on Conflict Resolution in the Middle East
How to Do Justice to Diverse Identities in the Middle East
James Skillen Thursday, 16 September 2010
The Israel-Palestine conflict is characterized by asymmetries in power and resources. The best option for justice is the emergence of two neighboring states that cooperate in dealing equitably with their diverse citizens.
Read more: How to Do Justice to Diverse Identities in the Middle East
How Faith is Realpolitik in the Holy Land
Gregory Khalil Thursday, 16 September 2010
By actively keeping religion on the sidelines, secular leaders have unwittingly ceded authority over religious discourse in the public square to hard-line ideologues. They have also violated a core principle of realpolitik: We must see the world as it is, not as one might like it to be.
How Religious Leadership Can Help Bring Peace and Justice to the Middle East
Suhail Khan Thursday, 16 September 2010
Religious leaders are absolutely necessary to help articulate sacred symbols and spiritually resonant actions in the peace process that would address the foundational narratives at the core of each people's identity. Some religious leaders and their constituencies may in fact be more amenable to a viable solution than are the region's political leaders.
Read more: How Religious Leadership Can Help Bring Peace and Justice to the Middle East
How American Jews Can Embrace the Cause of Palestinian Human Dignity
Michael Ostrolenk Thursday, 16 September 2010
A new narrative, promoted by American Jews for an American audience, must call for engagement with Palestinians as human beings with inherent and inviolable human dignity. A Jewish-led movement for Palestinian justice must be deeply and thoroughly transpartisan in order to be sustainable.
Read more: How American Jews Can Embrace the Cause of Palestinian Human Dignity
Looking for an Everyday Revolution
Anna Littauer Carrington Thursday, 16 September 2010
A review of Asaf Bayat, Life as Politics: How Ordinary People Change the Middle East (Stanford University Press, 2009).
A Historical Context for Middle Eastern Democracy
Thomas Moore Thursday, 16 September 2010
A review of Bernard Lewis, Faith and Power: Religion and Politics in the Middle East (Oxford University Press, 2010). [FREE]
Read more: A Historical Context for Middle Eastern Democracy
What About the Islamists?
John Musselman Thursday, 16 September 2010
A review of Maria J. Stephan, ed., Civilian Jihad: Nonviolent Struggle, Democratization, and Governance in the Middle East (Palgrave MacMillan, 2009).
The (not so) Grand Strategy of the Byzantine Empire
Robert Joustra Thursday, 16 September 2010
A review of Edward Luttwak, The Grand Strategy of the Byzantine Empire (Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 2009).
Read more: The (not so) Grand Strategy of the Byzantine Empire