In order to achieve the desired political goal, the terrorist must first achieve a vital intermediate goal, which is the creation of an irrational and prolonged sense of anxiety amongst the target population.

The assassination of filmmaker Theo van Gogh rocked Dutch society and politics. In the aftermath of the murder, the government has set about a process of fundamentally changing its policies towards Islam, Muslims, and integration. These issues have become issues of national security.

In the aftermath of the devastating attacks of 11 September 2001, governments around the world began scrambling to assess their vulnerability to terrorist groups. Security agencies now view maritime transport as a prime target for future attacks.

The political involvement of the EU in the Middle East was instigated by the oil crisis of 1973 and resulted in nearly a decade of EPC involvement in the region, where the EC/EPC tried to play a role as a 'third party' beside the USA and the USSR.

Hizballah is an odd religious and political movement: it was born of terrorism in the 1980s, developed guerrilla warfare capabilities in the 1990s, and, by 2000, had matured into an important Middle East strategic player, capable of influencing the course of peace and war in the region.

This paper presents an overview of two of the principle Sunni radical groups in Iraq. It is estimated that these groups will continue to oppose reconstruction efforts in the country, particularly following the victory for Shiite and Kurdish parties in the recent elections. 

A recent World Social Forum gathering has addressed building stronger links between the antiglobalization movement and movements in the Arab and Muslim worlds. It also provided some indications that certain elements in the antiglobalization movement are prepared to work with Hizballah.

Hizballah emerged in Turkey’s predominantly Sunni Kurdish southeast in the 1980s and according to recent intelligence, might have established links with al-Qa'ida. Why has the organization been able to recover from the 2000 crackdown and what kind of threat does it pose to Turkey and the West?

The collapse of the Baathist regime has opened the way for Iraq's Shiite's to come into their own politically. However, while the secular Shiites are still in a majority numerically, it is the religious Shiite parties and militias that have stepped in to fill the power vacuum, especially in the sacred cities. Almost immediately after the fall of the Baathist regime, Shiite militias took advantage of the lack of US military presence in Shiite-majority cities to take complete control in these areas.

The Republic of Iraq (Al Jumhuriyah al Iraqiyah) has, since its 1932 independence, been divided to 18 governorates or provinces (muhafazat, singular muhafazah). For our purposes, we will group these eighteen provinces, as is commonly done, into four regions: Baghdad, Kurdish Areas, Sunni Areas, and Mid-Euphrates. Understanding the nature of these regions and their demographics holds the key to understanding Iraq’s current reality, and predicting future developments within her borders.