Family Security Matters Briefings - Week of 6/9/08

Music Soothes the Savage Beast
By Dr. Harvey Kushner

Earlier this year the Transportation Security Administration announced it would be testing out soft glowing mauve lights and Muzak to fight terrorism. The latter, along with extra-friendly TSA agents, would greet passengers as they file through a security checkpoint at Baltimore International Airport. TSA officials believe the bad guys will be easier to spot if everyone feels they are about to enter their favorite nightclub to hear the mellow tones of some Frank Sinatra impersonator. The new theory is that a friendly atmosphere will single out sweaty terrorists finding dim lighting and music offensive and reason to glare at a smiling TSA agent trained to pick up the slightest sign of aggression. Nice theory - will it work? [more...]

Exclusive: Indonesia - A Civil War Between Islamists And Moderates?
Part One of Two
By Adrian Morgan

Indonesia is widely described as a "moderate" Islamic nation. In many ways this has been true. Recently, however, a conflict has been brewing between those who support moderate interpretations of Islam and those who support hardline and intolerant forms. This conflict has even been seen by some commentators to be pushing Indonesia to the very brink of a civil war. Today and tomorrow, I will try to explain the background of this conflict, whose causes belong as much to politics as they do to religion. Indonesia is certainly the most populous Muslim nation in the world. Its total population is around 235 million, with 85% of this figure being Muslim. The official language (Bahasa Indonesia) is a version of Malay, but other regional tongues exist on various islands. [more...]


U.S. Engagement of Africa in the National Interest
By J.Peter Pham, PhD

Earlier this year, citing an array of new initiatives including the United States Africa Command (AFRICOM), the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC), and the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), as well as the expansion of existing frameworks like the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), that "America's current engagement with Africa will likely go down as one of the most significant, if largely unheralded, legacies of the Bush presidency." And, if public statements by the three presidential candidates competing to succeed him are any indication, it will be a legacy that will likely be nurtured, in one form or another, in the next administration. Of the trio, Sen. John McCain has offered the most detailed exposition of how he would strategically engage Africa. [more...]