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Bridge Initiative Research Publications Editorial

Commentary on today’s most pressing issues in the U.S. and around the world.

Editorial

08 Oct 2019 | Law Enforcement

What’s an alternative to the U.K.’s counterterrorism policy?

It’s been 18 years since the United States launched the global “war on terror,” an endless and borderless war aimed at eliminating “terrorism.” Following the deadly September 11th attacks, then-President George Bush called for a campaign to find, stop, and defeat “every terrorist group of global reach.” He made it clear that this Global War on Terrorism (GWOT), as it came to be known, would be like any other wars, involving “far more than instant retaliation and isolated strikes,” and gave an ultimatum to the international community: “Either you are with us, or you are with the terrorists.” read the complete article

Editorial

20 May 2019 | Individuals

Criminalizing Ramadan: Illiberal tendencies in Western democracies

Ramadan has long turned into a political object in Western politics. When Madeleine Albright first started to organize iftar (fast-breaking) dinners at the White House during the Clinton era, many Western governments in Europe started to follow her newly introduced tradition. Congratulating Muslims on the advent of Ramadan has become a political ritual for leaders of Western governments to show respect not only to the followers of the second largest religion in the world, but also to a growing and contested religious minority in their own lands. read the complete article

Editorial

20 May 2019 | Politics

The Identitarian Austrian Freedom Party

The Identitarian movement has attracted a lot of attention since the white-supremacist terrorist at the Christchurch mosques made headlines, naming his manifesto – "The Great Replacement" – after a famous slogan of this movement. As the world would later get to know, the relationship was even financial. read the complete article