In a time when globalization tends to bring about a clash of ideologies and the rise of extremism, Georgetown professor and director of the conflict resolution program
Fathali Moghaddam asks if traditional conflict resolution is still effective. His latest book, “How Globalization Spurs Terrorism: The Lopsided Benefits of “One World” and Why That Fuels Violence” (Praeger Security International 2008), examines modern Islamic terrorism in the context of globalization and cultural evolution.
According to Moghaddam, the first American dilemma -- the problem of racial inequality -- was tackled with the end of segregation domestically. The new American dilemma, however, is happening on the international stage and must be resolved with long-term changes in U.S. policy at the global level. Moghaddam outlines this new global dilemma and highlights discords in American foreign policy.
“Inevitably, the contradictions between American rhetoric and practices, rhetorical support for democracy and practical support for selected dictatorships are bringing into focus the new global American dilemma,” writes Moghaddam. “How successfully this challenge is tackled has the greatest implications not only for the United States, but also for all humankind.”
Describing long-term solutions to the new global American dilemma, he focuses particularly on the role of women and the nature of the family in traditional Islamic societies. “The reform of formal law in Islamic communities will eventually transform the Islamic family and have a profound impact in the larger Islamic world,” writes Moghaddam. He argues that over time such changes as giving women equal rights within the family and government “will diminish the power of Islamic fundamentalists, resulting in decline and, perhaps, even extinction for radical Islamic movements.”
An expert on intergroup relations, Moghaddam explains that globalization is resulting in serious threats to the basic psychological needs of some, particularly in connection with collective identity.
“Fractured globalization is associated with major shifts in the global moral order, as the cultures and value systems of some societies spread and gain influence, and the cultures and value systems of other societies decline and lose influence,” writes Moghaddam. “The global shifts we are experiencing, and particularly the decline of moral orders, are giving rise to counter movements and reactions; some of them radical and even violent.”
“Moghaddam has given us the big picture for better understanding radicalization and terrorism in the 21st century,” says
Paul Ehrlich, Bing Professor of Population Studies and professor of biological sciences at Stanford University. “His psychological analysis shows the deep wounds being inflicted by ‘lopsided’ globalization and the irrational reactions that can arise from people experiencing threatened identities and what they see as possible extinction for their way of life.”
“This book also points to the vital role of women in developing a better future in the Islamic world and to the importance of resolving the new global American dilemma -- a dilemma associated with the rhetorical American support for freedom and democracy around the world, while at the same time propping up 'friendly' dictatorships,” says Erlich, a member of the National Academy of Sciences and recipient of the Crafoord Prize.
Moghaddam dedicates his book to The Parents Circle, a group of Israeli and Palestinian families who have lost immediate family members in the Middle East Conflict. The families are making constructive use of their shared grief to build programs of peace.
In addition to serving as professor of
psychology and director of the master’s program in conflict resolution in the
government department, Moghaddam has received the 2007 Lifetime Achievement Award from the Society for the Study of Peace, Conflict and Violence, Division 48 of the American Psychological Association. He also has penned “From the Terrorists Point of View: What They Experience and Why They Come to Destroy” (Praeger Security International, 2006) and “Understanding Terrorism: Psychosocial Roots, Causes and Consequences” (American Psychological Association Press, 2004), which was selected by CHOICE (Current Reviews for Academic Libraries, American Library Association) as a 2004 Outstanding Academic Title.
