A World At War

There have been*35 major conflicts in the world since 1945, and 90 per cent of casualties have been civilians. 3 out of 4 fatalities of war are women and children. There are over *300,000 child soldiers in the world. More than *500 million small arms and light weapons are in circulation around the world. In major conflicts since 1990, they have caused 4 million deaths - 90 per cent of them civilians, and 80 per cent women and children. There are approximately *20,000 nuclear missiles in the world today. Some 5,000 nuclear weapons are on hair-trigger alert, ready to be launched on a few minutes notice. Current global military spending is approximately *$1 Trillion per year; more than the total annual income of the poorest 45% of the global population. *360 million people have been killed, in total, by governments (genocides) in the 20th century, apart from war. *33% of the world's people live under authoritarian, non-democratic regimes. *35% of the world's people live in countries in which basic political rights and civil liberties are denied (such as freedom of speech, religion, press, fair trials, democratic political processes, etc). The global economy will have to generate a minimum of *500 million new jobs during the next 10 years just to accommodate new seekers of the labor force and reduce the current level of unemployment. Now some 1 billion people - 1/3rd of the world's labor force, is unemployed or underemployed. *27 million people are enslaved around the world, including an estimated 20 million people held in bonded labour (forced to work in order to pay off a debt, also known as 'debt bondage') Over *250 million, or 1 out of 6, children ages 5 to 17 worldwide are involved in child labor. 180 million children, including 110 million under age 15, are exposed to the worst forms of, or hazardous, child labor. There are over *45 million refugees and internally dispaced people in the world. Conflict between Islam and the West In recent decades there has been a population explosion in Muslim countries, leading to a huge increase in unemployed males between the ages of fifteen and thirty. Sociologists in the United States know that this group creates the most social disruption and causes the most crime - and that in a relatively wealthy and stable society. In Muslim countries, however, we find little such wealth and stability, except perhaps among a few of the political elites. Thus, the disruption potential of that group of males is much greater, and their search for a cause and an identity can create even more difficulties. Islam Founding & Expansion Maps Early Expansion Wars of Islam (622-732) Founding (dark blue) Expansion (lighter shades of blue) Islamic Modern expansion (lighter green & stripes) Read more ... *The Reform Islam Needs Impact of culture on Arab military Arabic-speaking armies have been generally *ineffective in the modern era. Why this unimpressive record? There are many factors — economic, ideological, technical — but perhaps the most important has to do with culture and certain societal attributes which inhibit Arabs from producing an effective military force. Some problems are: lack of leadership, hoarding of information, memorization instead of reasoning, paranoia in the name of hierarchy, indifference to fellow human beings, trust in relatives only, and conformity as a major social virtue. Read more ... *The Rise of Islam Islamic Terrorism in Southeast Asia "the economic crisis of 1997 and subsequent reductions in social spending produced further support for radical Islamic groups. Cuts in spending on education in the region raised the profile of private schools run by Islamic radicals. "The Islamic groups give some benefits to families, especially with their religious schools." Read more ... *Why Southeast Asia? *Islamic Expansion SE Asia *Islamic militants join forces for global struggle Stumble It!

A World At War

There have been*35 major conflicts in the world since 1945, and 90 per cent of casualties have been civilians. 3 out of 4 fatalities of war are women and children. There are over *300,000 child soldiers in the world. More than *500 million small arms and light weapons are in circulation around the world. In major conflicts since 1990, they have caused 4 million deaths - 90 per cent of them civilians, and 80 per cent women and children. There are approximately *20,000 nuclear missiles in the world today. Some 5,000 nuclear weapons are on hair-trigger alert, ready to be launched on a few minutes notice. Current global military spending is approximately *$1 Trillion per year; more than the total annual income of the poorest 45% of the global population. *360 million people have been killed, in total, by governments (genocides) in the 20th century, apart from war. *33% of the world's people live under authoritarian, non-democratic regimes. *35% of the world's people live in countries in which basic political rights and civil liberties are denied (such as freedom of speech, religion, press, fair trials, democratic political processes, etc). The global economy will have to generate a minimum of *500 million new jobs during the next 10 years just to accommodate new seekers of the labor force and reduce the current level of unemployment. Now some 1 billion people - 1/3rd of the world's labor force, is unemployed or underemployed. *27 million people are enslaved around the world, including an estimated 20 million people held in bonded labour (forced to work in order to pay off a debt, also known as 'debt bondage') Over *250 million, or 1 out of 6, children ages 5 to 17 worldwide are involved in child labor. 180 million children, including 110 million under age 15, are exposed to the worst forms of, or hazardous, child labor. There are over *45 million refugees and internally dispaced people in the world. Conflict between Islam and the West In recent decades there has been a population explosion in Muslim countries, leading to a huge increase in unemployed males between the ages of fifteen and thirty. Sociologists in the United States know that this group creates the most social disruption and causes the most crime - and that in a relatively wealthy and stable society. In Muslim countries, however, we find little such wealth and stability, except perhaps among a few of the political elites. Thus, the disruption potential of that group of males is much greater, and their search for a cause and an identity can create even more difficulties. Islam Founding & Expansion Maps Early Expansion Wars of Islam (622-732) Founding (dark blue) Expansion (lighter shades of blue) Islamic Modern expansion (lighter green & stripes) Read more ... *The Reform Islam Needs Impact of culture on Arab military Arabic-speaking armies have been generally *ineffective in the modern era. Why this unimpressive record? There are many factors — economic, ideological, technical — but perhaps the most important has to do with culture and certain societal attributes which inhibit Arabs from producing an effective military force. Some problems are: lack of leadership, hoarding of information, memorization instead of reasoning, paranoia in the name of hierarchy, indifference to fellow human beings, trust in relatives only, and conformity as a major social virtue. Read more ... *The Rise of Islam Islamic Terrorism in Southeast Asia "the economic crisis of 1997 and subsequent reductions in social spending produced further support for radical Islamic groups. Cuts in spending on education in the region raised the profile of private schools run by Islamic radicals. "The Islamic groups give some benefits to families, especially with their religious schools." Read more ... *Why Southeast Asia? *Islamic Expansion SE Asia *Islamic militants join forces for global struggle