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Iran and its Politics: World Perspectives Introduction, March 2007 The politics of Iran are affecting international affairs significantly these days, and there are many developments within Iran that could impact the future of the Middle East and the rest of the world. As one of the major powers in the Muslim world, Iran is a strong influence in Middle Eastern politics and a focal point of current crises in global security. The nation's political climate offers a helpful view of why Iran is important now and why it will continue to be important. This month, The World & I Online will explore some of the most pressing geopolitical issues involving Iran. Traditionally, Iran was governed by a monarchy headed by a ruler called the Shah. Beginning in the early twentieth century, the Shah monarchy began introducing modernization in industry and education to the country. The last Shah of Iran, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, took power in 1941 and was overthrown in 1979 by the Islamic revolution led by the Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini. The Shiite Muslim clerics established the Islamic Republic of Iran, the regime which exists to this day. As an Islamic republic, Iran is governed under a particular theocratic form of government that is compatible with the laws of the Islamic religion. Because the government of Iran is based on a restrictive interpretation of Islam, and because the government continually seeks to centralize and secure its own power, Iran is cited by human rights groups as a leading offender in human rights abuses. The government severely restricts freedom of speech, gender equality, and many other forms of freedom. The Iranian judiciary, controlled by the nation's Supreme Leader, is at the center of many serious human rights violations. Currently, there is a substantial domestic movement inside Iran for greater freedom and self-government for the people. Iranians have the right to elect the members of Parliament and the President, but the Supreme Leader and the Judiciary can override any policies made by elected officials. Unhappiness with the nation’s political system has led many Iranians, especially students, to participate in demonstrations demanding political reform and respect for human rights. Iran is extending its influence in the Middle East through the support of various groups that advocate armed conflict in the name of Islam. Some of these groups are found among the sectarian militias in Iraq, and Iranian material support to these armed militias is exacerbating the violence among Iraqi sectarian groups. The escalating violence, aided by Iranian involvement, is making it far more difficult for the United States and its allies to stabilize Iraq. Throughout these crises, the two major Iranian leaders that the world is dealing with today are the Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the current Supreme Leader, and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the belligerent new President of Iran. In this edition of World Perspectives, we will showcase several interesting articles on Iran commenting on issues such as human rights, nuclear production, terrorism and more. In the first article, Ronald J. McNamara of the Helsinki Commission reports on human rights abuses in Iran and the movement for greater freedom. The second article has Alon Ben-Meir, professor of international relations at New York University, analyzing the threat of a nuclear-armed Iran and arguing that the U.S. should negotiate directly with the regime to address that threat. The third article takes a different view. Ramesh Sepehrrad, president of the National Committee of Women for a Democratic Iran, argues that the U.S. should not talk directly with the regime. She argues that the best way to meet the threat is to isolate Iran politically and economically. Finally, the fourth article has Tashbih Sayyed of Muslim World Today examining the security problems that the U.S. faces from Iran and weighing options on how to address them. For many, Iran is a major source of trouble in the world today, and a look into its politics is a good way of understanding the problems facing both Iran and the global community. This issue's detailed dialogue on Iran will help readers to see how the nation is affecting current world affairs. |
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Rediscovering the Civil War Introduction, March 2007 This month's edition of Rediscovering the Civil War features a number of intriguing historical events that serve to illuminate the Civil War and its time period. Readers will find these stories interesting and engaging, and a great window into life in America during this crucial era. Our personality profile for this issue shines light on a woman named Mary Sophia Hill, a nurse who devoted herself to caring for wounded and sick Confederate soldiers during the war. Though she was not a Southerner or even an American--she was born in Dublin, Ireland--she became a beloved figure for her dedication and compassion in the caring for the injured and the ill. Another article highlights a dramatic tale of a slave trading ship's journey as recorded in a book by Erik Calonius entitled The Wanderer. The story describes a voyage made by the ship called the Wanderer in 1858. The ship's owners were bringing slaves from the Congo in Africa to the United States. This was illegal at the time because transporting slaves from Africa had been outlawed in 1820. The story goes on to explain how the Wanderer smuggled the slaves into the U.S. and how the illegal operation was ultimately discovered. Also included in the tale are details about the suffering and hardship of the slaves aboard the Wanderer, and how a number of them died due to the ship's harsh conditions. The incident served as a harbinger of the Civil War looming on the horizon. The next article features a review of a book by Oxford University professor Richard Carwardine entitled Lincoln. This book, part of the British biography series Profiles in Power, provides a deep examination of President Abraham Lincoln. As the reviewer discusses, one of the notable attributes of Carwardine's biography of Lincoln is his emphasis on Lincoln's use of religion to promote his goals and decisions during the Civil War. Carwardine writes that Lincoln, though criticized as having been a religious skeptic in his youth, developed Christian themes in his oratorical battle against slavery and rallied his followers around the idea of slavery as a moral evil. The book describes how Lincoln linked Christianity with American anti-slavery sentiment and how he pondered religious questions more deeply as he faced the horrors of the war and the deaths of his sons. Carwardine writes that Lincoln came to see himself as God's instrument as he led the country through the war and issued the Emancipation Proclamation to free the slaves in the South. The final article describes Virginia's Shenandoah Valley, the site of some of the most important battles of the Civil War. The Valley was the scene of a campaign by Confederate General Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson in 1862 and an invasion by the Union army under General Phillip Sheridan in 1864. The article outlines the Civil War history surrounding parts of the Shenandoah Valley and lists some noteworthy sites to visit. These fascinating stories from the Civil War illustrate an extremely complex and difficult time in our nation's history. You will definitely enjoy reading about them, and you will surely want to know more about this tumultuous period. |
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Russia and Energy: World Perspectives Introduction, February 2007 Russia is a major player on the world stage today, and its role in the international community is enhanced by its involvement in transnational energy trade. The country's exports of energy resources, especially oil and natural gas, are a primary source of hard currency. The oil and gas industries have enabled Russia to recover from the severe economic recession of the late 1990s, benefiting the nation economically and giving Russia influence in the world politically. But the Russian government's use of the energy trade with respect to its neighbors has provoked criticism throughout the world because of what many see as an attempt to manipulate and dominate other states. Also, the government's efforts to monopolize the country's oil and gas industries have raised concern about political freedom in Russia. Because Russia is so relevant to the world at large, this month's issue of World Perspectives offers an in-depth look at the country's involvement in global affairs today. Specifically, we concentrate on how Russia's energy exports have shaped its economic and political life, and we also examine what the Russian energy market means to global relations with other countries. Since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, Russia has endeavored to achieve better economic growth and productivity. It has gradually moved away from a centrally planned economic system to a more developed market economy. A slight recovery in 1997 was followed by a severe recession in 1998 caused by a depreciation of the ruble, a government debt default, and a sharp decline in living standards. Russia managed to restart its economic recovery, however, and the GDP expanded by an average of 6.7 percent annually between 1999 and 2005 thanks to higher petroleum prices, a weaker ruble, and increasing service production and industrial output. Higher world energy prices allowed Russia to benefit from petroleum exports, and the country still remains heavily dependent on exports of commodities, making Russia vulnerable to swings in world prices. Oil and gas made up 60 percent of total Russian exports in 2005. The Russian government, however, has also used its powers to create a state monopoly over the nation’s energy industry and to control the vital gas pipelines to European countries, who are among Russia’s primary oil and gas customers. Because Europe needs Russian energy supplies, and because Russia’s government has control of those supplies, Russia can coerce the European nations to do its bidding by threatening to cut off their energy. This influence hinders other countries’ ability to criticize Russia for human rights abuses and for imperialistic actions against the former Soviet Baltic states. This month, readers will receive a detailed, in-depth look at Russia and its energy exports from economic and political angles. The scholarly and journalistic articles featured in this issue help to demonstrate Russia’s situation and how it affects international relations. Readers will see how oil and gas have made Russia more economically prosperous and how energy resources are influencing Russian behavior toward the neighboring Baltic states. The section also examines how Russia’s state monopoly over energy supplies is affecting both domestic human rights and geopolitical relationships. This discourse on Russia will give readers a comprehensible view of how Russia is influencing world events today. |
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Rediscovering the Civil War Introduction, February 2007 In this month’s edition of The World & I Online, we are showcasing the second installment of our new section on the American Civil War. Rediscovering the Civil War introduces readers to important and fascinating topics on Civil War history in a way that is fun and interesting. The substantive and polished articles featured in this section cover several intriguing subjects from the Civil War, and we hope that they will encourage readers to further explore this earth-shaking time in our nation’s history. For students who want to find a topic in American history that they can truly enjoy studying, the Civil War is a treasure trove of fantastic, captivating stories. There are more interesting events and issues contained in this time period than in many others combined. We make an effort to provide our readers with content that will enrich their learning experience of Civil War history. For a personality profile from the era, we are showcasing an article on Frederick Douglass, the famous African American hero who played a leading role in fighting slavery in America. The article highlights several of the most crucial points in Douglass’ life, explaining how he came to be a leader in the abolition movement and how his works made him a giant figure in American history. Looking at the military history of the Civil War, we present a scholarly discussion of the Battle of Antietam, the single bloodiest one-day battle of the Civil War. Here, Southern armies invaded Northern soil for the first time before they were halted by Northern troops at Antietam Creek in Sharpsburg, Maryland. This section also features an article discussing numerous letters that were written by soldiers to their families during the course of the Civil War. By examining these personal letters, students of the Civil War can gain a fuller understanding of what life was like at the time, and what people on both sides of the conflict thought and felt about the events of the time. Finally, the section presents a book review of a recent scholarly text on the assassination of Abraham Lincoln: American Brutus: John Wilkes Booth and the Lincoln Conspiracies by Michael W. Kauffman. Because Lincoln was President of the United States during this calamitous period in our history, and because he was the first president to be killed in office, this event deserves special attention. From the review of the book, readers will find new things to consider about Lincoln’s assassination. We want our readers to gain the broadest, most comprehensive view of the Civil War possible, and we know that they will find it more thrilling the more they read. Take the time to enjoy learning about one of the most exciting topics in American history and you won’t be disappointed. |
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