The Foreign Service Journal, February 2005

in a lengthy piece, “The Struggle for the Middle East” ( http://www.aei. org/include/news_print.asp?new sID=21761 ). The government of Ayad Allawi has failed, and a different approach to the Sunni insurgency is needed, Gerecht says. In mid-December the RAND Corporation released a book-length study, “The Muslim World After 9/11” ( http://www.rand.org/news/press.0 4/12.15.html ). R AND senior policy analyst and former FSO Angel Rabasa, lead author of the report, said, “While only Muslims themselves can effective- ly challenge the message of radical Islam, there is much the U.S. and like- minded countries can do to empower Muslim moderates in this ideological struggle.” A comprehensive study of the causes for the spread of Islamic radicalism over the past several decades, the cleavages within the Muslim world, and the dilemma of democratization in friendly authoritari- an states, the book calls for the U.S. and its allies to support moderate Muslims and social, economic and educational reforms inMuslimnations. From the Century Foundation (formerly the Twentieth Century Fund) come the conclusions of a task force assembled and chaired by Richard A. Clarke, the Clinton admin- istration’s coordinator for national security and counterterrorism, titled “Defeating the Jihadists: A Blueprint for Action” ( http://www.tcf.org/ 4L/4LMain.asp?SubjectID=3& ArticleID=41 ). C entral to the action plan are proposals for signifi- cant changes in U.S. policy toward key Muslim countries. Tsunami 2004: Internet Brings Relief The World Wide Web significantly boosted the crisis response to the Dec. 26 tsunami, which claimed the lives of more than 150,000 people in Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India and nine other countries on the Indian Ocean littoral. At this writing, the death toll is still climbing and the full scope and implications of the tragedy are unknown. In the months, if not years, of relief and reconstruction work ahead, the Internet will continue to be an invaluable source of information and a medium for facilitating assis- tance. Besides providing up-to-the- minute news and practical informa- tion from governments of the coun- tries hit by the killer wave, the Internet has helped embassies and governments handle queries con- cerning loved ones missing in the disaster area. The Net has also been acting as a clearing house for indi- vidual contributions to rescue and rehabilitation efforts. For instance, CNN International’s special report, “After the Tsunami,” makes available all the latest news from the disaster area, including eye- witness reports of the tragedy and relief efforts as well as survivors’ tales ( http://edition.cnn.com/SPE CIALS/2004/tsunami.disaster/ ). This site’s “Resources” offering includes the posting of online appeals for information on missing individuals, and the long listing under “Reunions” attests to the efficacy of this service. The U.S. Pacific Command’s tsuna- mi Web page ( http://www.pacom.mil/ special/0412asia/ ) in cludes informa- tion on the U.S. participation in relief operations; up-to-date links to interna- tional news stories on the crisis; and links to the State Department, Defense Department and USAID tsunami Web pages, as well as to regional U.S. embassy Web sites. The World Health Organization’s tsunami Web page ( http://www. who.int/hac/crises/int ernation- al/asia_tsunami/en/ ) contains regu- lar situation reports from the disaster area, the latest at this writing focused on the concern for disease outbreaks among the five million persons affect- ed. You will find an archive of these reports as well as the WHO’s 100-day strategy for dealing with the emer- gency. A special section of the site, “How You Can Help,” provides for online cash contributions. Donation guidelines for in-kind contributions and a call for emergency specialists, F E B R U A R Y 2 0 0 5 / F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L 11 C YBERNOTES I t turns out that the majority of those nations affected [by the tsunami] were Muslim nations. We’d be doing it [providing assistance] regardless of religion, but I think it does give the Muslim world and the rest of the world ... an opportunity to see American generosity, American values in action. — Colin Powell, www.cnn.com , Jan. 5, 2005.