Background on the News - 2005-11-09

The riots of disaffected Muslim youth in France stem from domestic socioeconomic divisions rather than a global clash of civilizations, and thus have more in common with the periodic eruptions in South Central Los Angeles than the recent subway bombings in London. That said, the difficulties Muslim immigrants and their descendants have encountered in making their way into the mainstream of European society have contributed to a generalized discontent that finds expression in many forms, the terrorism of a radical fringe among them. Robert Leiken explored this issue last summer in his Foreign Affairs article "Europe's Angry Muslims," shining a spotlight on the challenges these communities present — for governments and societies on both sides of the Atlantic.

• Full text of original essay (July/August 2005)

In the Current Issue of Foreign Affairs

The complete text of selected essays and of all the book reviews from the November/December issue can be found on the Foreign Affairs Web site. Currently the following essays are available in their full text:

Iraq: Learning the Lessons of Vietnam

Melvin R. Laird

During Richard Nixon's first term as president, most U.S. forces were withdrawn from Vietnam while the South's ability to defend itself was improved. Speaking out for the first time in decades, Nixon's Secretary of Defense Melvin Laird — one of the architects of those policies — argues that this approach produced a success, at least until Congress snatched defeat from the jaws of victory by cutting off funding for the South in 1975. Washington should follow a similar strategy in Iraq today, he writes in this already much-discussed article, but this time it should finish the job properly.

Who Will Control the Internet?

Kenneth Neil Cukier

Foreign governments want control of the Internet transferred from an American NGO to an international institution. Washington has responded with a Monroe Doctrine for our times, setting the stage for further controversy.

The Ethical Economist

Joseph E. Stiglitz

In a major new work, Benjamin Friedman presents a compelling moral case for growth-oriented economic policies. But even he sometimes needs reminding that the kind of growth matters as much as the amount.

Previously in Background on the News

Fischer Hooked
October 26, 2005
Germany's recent elections have resulted in a changing of the political guard in Berlin, with one of the casualties being the charismatic foreign minister Joschka Fischer. . . . Read more

The Last Pandemic — and the Next One
October 12, 2005
Last week's announcement that the 1918 influenza pandemic was caused by a virus that jumped from birds to humans has increased fears that another avian flu crisis might be looming. . . . Read more

Thermidor in Ukraine?
September 28, 2005
The recent dissolution of the government in Ukraine has prompted fears that President Viktor Yushchenko might be straying from the precepts of the Orange Revolution he helped lead last year. . . . Read more

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