Report Seeks Engagement With Muslims by Diplomacy
34 leaders created a report on US-Muslim Engagement, with the help of Search for Common Ground and the Consensus Building Institute. “Changing Course: A New Direction for U.S. Relations with the Muslim World” was released on September 24th at a press conference in Washington DC.
U.S. and Cuba Find Common Ground on Field
Political hostilities took a backseat to competition and sport this past week as the US national men’s soccer team played on a Cuban pitch for the first time since 1947. While for many onlookers, the New York Times reported, the “intrigue [was] political and cultural,” sportsmanship reigned on the grass. Finding common ground in their sport’s fringe appeal in both Cuba and the U.S., the athletes gained a sense of mutual respect.
Turkish-Armenian Reconciliation for Today
The Centre for Research on Globalization recently released this editorial on reconciliation between Turks and Armenians, declaring that such a change is now not only necessary, but realistic and plausible. The Centre frames this shift in terms of small but meaningful victories – Turkish President Abdullah Gul’s visit to Yerevan, Armenian President’s Serzh Sargysyan’s invitation for his Turkish counterpart to attend the 2010 World Cup qualifying match between their countries’ teams. In the context of even larger movements – Turkey’s appeal for entry into the European Union and new “stability initiative,” the Centre concludes that now is the time for Turkish-Armenian reconciliation.
Israelis and Palestinians side by side at screening
A column in The Jerusalem Post remarks on the overflow audience – composed of Palestinians and Israelis alike – for the screening of “The Making of…,” a documentary about the creation of the TV show “Good Intentions.” The show, which depicts the everyday tribulations of both Palestinians and Israelis and the very real potential for cooperation between the groups, has become a success in the region. According to the Post, a gathering like this proves “there is a mutual realization that violence serves no purpose and that solutions are possible when people focus on their commonalities.”
Heba Aly of the Christian Science Monitor explores the amicable relationship between Arabs and Africans in the northern region of Sudan – a painfully stark contrast to the genocide in Darfur. According to one African resident in the mostly-Arab area, Abbas Adam Ibrahim, “We live here peacefully and there are no problems…we live as if we are natives here. We feel that this is our country and this is our town.” Both Arab and African communities there hope together to see an end to the “politics” that ravage their country.
