US Attitudes Toward China in the Wake of the Coronavirus

The troubled trade relationship between China and the US and Bejing’s behavior during the coronavirus crisis have combined to worsen American public opinion about China, a trend that could ultimately have serious consequences for the People’s Republic.

How the Netherlands Hid Its War Crimes for Decades

The decades-long absence of international media interest in the Netherlands has made it possible for the country’s authorities and elites to blur Dutch war crimes that took place during the 1948-49 repression of the Indonesian revolution. It is only now, when most of those who committed the crimes are dead or very old, that a major study on the Dutch post-war decolonization of Indonesia has started. This blurring of responsibility for the past is an integral part of Dutch culture.

Turkey: Islamism’s Corrupted Symbolism

Burak Bekdil
August 30, 2020
Paper No. 1720

The conversion of Hagia Sophia into a mosque and the desire to “Turkify” place names reflect the Islamist “conquest fetish.” Modern Islamists in Turkey have created a new version of Islam for themselves that differs from the religion’s origins.

It Is Time to Recognize the Contribution of the Jewish Resistance in the Rescue of the Jews of France

Although hundreds of members of the Jewish Resistance in France operated during the Nazi occupation in an autonomous and separate framework from the French resistance and contributed greatly to the rescue of three-quarters of French Jews, France and Israel have never sufficiently recognized their heroism.

US Isolationism Leads to Globalization of Conflicts and Endless Wars

In recent years, the common refrain that US involvement in Middle Eastern conflicts is costly, counterproductive, and morally and practically indefensible has taken hold in foreign policy circles and reflects the popular mindset that brought Donald Trump to power. However, closer examination of three of the sprawling conflicts plaguing the Middle East region today—Syria, Libya, and Yemen—shows that by abdicating regional responsibilities, the US has contributed to the globalization and perpetuation of “endless wars.”

Demonstrations Yes, Prayer No

While public gatherings for the sake of communal prayer have been severely restricted in the name of public safety during the coronavirus pandemic, no such restrictions have been placed on public demonstrations. The right to demonstrate is apparently a sacred cow that cannot be interfered with under any circumstances, unlike the right to pray in the manner of one’s tradition.

The 2020 US Presidential Election: A Seminal Moment in Western History

The US elections will be a contest not just between political figures and rival parties but between opposing worldviews. Biden’s intention to “Europeanize” American democracy would leave the international system bereft of the democracy that saved humanity multiple times from the calamities wreaked upon it by European utopian thought.

Israel’s Security Barrier: A Political Ruse in the Guise of Security

The security barrier between Israel and the West Bank constitutes one of the most prolonged and expensive projects Israel has ever carried out, and its adverse implications for Israel’s future borders are of profound significance. The massive crossing of the barrier in recent weeks by West Bank Palestinians offers an opportunity to open the eyes of the public to its real function as a dangerous political ruse in the guise of security.

How Western Institutions Benefit from Corrupt Islamists in Saudi Arabia

The recent revelations about Sa’ad Jabri, an Islamist and corrupt former Saudi intelligence officer, highlight the discrepancy between Western institutions' criticism of Saudi Arabia in the name of human rights and their support for the former officials most responsible for human rights abuses and security threats associated with the Kingdom. A tangled web of relations between pro-Brotherhood Muhammad bin Nayef regime apparatchiks, pro-Qatar members of US law enforcement (like Ali Soufan), and ideologically sympathetic intermediaries (like Jamal Khashoggi) are threatened by Muhammad bin Salman's reforms.

Why Did Erdoğan Convert Hagia Sophia Into a Mosque?

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan recently converted Hagia Sophia from a museum into a mosque, a decision that apparently involved no consultation and was executed swiftly after a surprise announcement. What were Erdoğan’s true motivations in taking this provocative step?

Perspectives Papers