Académique Documents
Professionnel Documents
Culture Documents
i n t e r n at i o n a l a f fa i r s
Issue 5
thought leadership
2013
Failed, failing or
building the future?
global trends
i n t e r n at i o n a l a f fa i r s
Issue 5
thought leadership
2013
The magazine
really interest
The layout is g
and the list
contributors is te
Failed, Failing or
building The FuTure?
SubSCribe ToD
Bill Gates My Mission to eradicate polio now /// NajiB tuN Razak on
harnessing the power of MusliM youth /// ViscouNt liNley says
craftsManship is in crisis /// HeleNa smitH reports froM greece
on a war between generations /// Rami G kHouRi we are witnessing
the real birth of the Modern arab world /// ilyasaH al sHaBazz the
legacy of My father - MalcolM X
Subscribe today.
Simply send an email to
thinksubscriptions@qf.org.qa
Bill Gates My mission to eradicate polio now /// Najib Tun Razak on
harnessing the power of Muslim youth /// Viscount Linley says
craftsmanship is in crisis /// Helena Smith reports from Greece
on a war between generations /// Rami G Khouri we are witnessing
the real birth of the Modern Arab World /// Ilyasah Al Shabazz The
legacy of my father - Malcolm X
Name:
Company:
Position:
Full postal address:
Contact number:
welcome
april 2013
contents
17
42
22
bulletin
think. review
51 Reclaiming Rhetoric
30
17 State of Despair
10
56
think. magazine
56 A Sound Revolution
51
april 2013
briefing
contributors
bulletin
facebook.com/thinkinternationalmagazine
twitter.com/Think_QF
think. magazine
Stanley Johnson on
saving the world
Ilyasah Al shabazz on
her fathers legacy
sholto byrnes on
novel ideas
by stanley johnson
bulletin
THE TRANSFORMATIVE
POWER OF EDUCATION
by Ilyasah Al Shabazz
Al Shabazz, Malcolm X,
committed to the civil rights
movement as a young man
in his twenties. He was
prepared to assume such
an extraordinary leadership
role by his parents, Earl and
Louise Little, who instilled in
young Malcolm the values of
education, accountability and
responsibility.
My grandmother taught
her children to sing the
alphabet in French and
read to her from a variety of
periodicals. Malcolms mother
kept a dictionary on the
table where her children did
their homework, and if they
mispronounced a word, she
encouraged them to look up
the correct pronunciation
and usage.
Earl Little sowed the seeds
of resilience, perseverance
and conviction into my father.
As a boy, Malcolm watched
think. magazine
commitment to usher in
an era of egalitarianism
and peace.
The lessons from my
fathers lifelong educational
process led him to fashion
an unyielding will and
determination, and his
extraordinary example
remains a source of
inspiration around the
bulletin
f it is a truism verging
on clich to say that
history is written by
the victors, it is still one
that is constantly borne
out. Alternative narratives
frequently remain untold,
deliberately suppressed, or
sometimes merely misplaced
and then ultimately
forgotten. Coverage last year
of the deal that may lay the
foundations for lasting peace
in the southern Philippines
by formally creating an
autonomous Bangsamoro
land of the Moros, or Moors,
as the Spanish called the
local Muslims when they
began to conquer the islands
in the 16th century was a
case in point.
e
u
s
s
i
h
t
u
o
y
e
h
t
7]
[1
[27]
AIR
P
t
n
DES
e
OF
Mom [35]
e
h
STATE
]
t
d? [1[0 2] Seizing of Hope
e
l
i
a
F
s or Ummah 2 e Promise
s
e
l
k
Y: Fec l of the es? [30] Th
n
o
i
t
tia rricad
ra
n
e
e
t
n
e
o
P
G
e
e Ba
h
t
h
t
g
t
na
ckin
Unlo Generatio
A
GENERATION Y:
FECKLESS
OR FAILED?
Around the world young people are living
longer with their parents and are increasingly
dependent on them. Are they indulged kidults
who cant take responsibility for themselves
or are they victims of state policies that have
produced unsustainable debts, saddling
youth with the prospects of lifelong low-paid
employment and far lower living standards
than their parents enjoyed?
10
think. magazine
april 2013
written by Ed Howker
11
40 percent of young
people in Portugal are
now unemployed, more
than 50 percent in
Spain, and in Greece,
the statistic is just
below 60 percent
How Baby Boomers Can Parent for Peace of Mind,
Foster Responsibility in Their Adult Children, and
Keep Their Hard-Earned Money certainly speaks
for itself. Ms Herman should find a publisher
who will translate it into Mandarin.
60%
Pre-crisis trough
2012, third quarter
50
40
30
20
0
think. magazine
Source: OECD
Greece
Spain
Portugal
Italy
United
States
10
New
Zealand
12
S Korea
april 2013
13
14
april 2013
15
Fiscal
irresponsibility
has characterized
much state
activity in the
developed world
over the past
few decades.
Resources have
been squandered
16
the author
STATE OF DESPAIR
Few places have been hit harder by the Great Recession and subsequent
austerity measures than Greece, and many of its young people feel that
they are paying a catastrophic price for the profligacy of their elders.
Now leading commentators warn that the countrys future could be
characterized by a civil war between the generations
Graffiti daubed on the walls
of Athens University during
demonstrations against
the then government of
Prime Minister George
Papandreou, October, 2011
april 2013
17
18
think. magazine
april 2013
19
20
the author
Helena Smith is The
Guardians correspondent
in Greece, Turkey and
Cyprus and has reported
from Athens for more than
20 years.
think. magazine
april 2013
All of us guys
went on to get
jobs for life
in the public
sector and
all sorts of
privileges. It is
our generation
that took the
money. It is they
who got the bill.
And you know,
they will
punish us.
parents inhabited. Thirty or 40 years ago
the situation in Greece was very difficult.
Our peers may complain that things are
terrible now but our parents did have it
hard, and in truth they did try to make it
easier for us, says Anna. A lot of people in
Greece made a lot of money without doing
very much, but there were some like my
father who worked in a supermarket and
really suffered.
Before she finishes her sentence, a middleaged postman arrives to empty the letter
boxes at the top of the steps. He is Antonis
Andreoglou, but prefers to go by the name
of Epicurus, his favorite philosopher. Now
dont let me hear you moaning, he cries.
Enough of all this crisis talk. Young girls
like you should party and be happy, enjoy
life for all that it is worth.
And what do you do? asks Anna. Well,
he says, Ive worked at the [state-owned]
post office for 27 years. Its been a good life,
honest, secure, well-paid. I couldnt have
asked for more. The tragedy of Greeces
young is that they dare not dream of asking
even for far less. l
21
Unlocking
the potential
of the Ummah
By 2030 Muslims will make up a quarter of the
worlds population but a third of its youth.
Here Malaysias Prime Minister argues that
Islamic countries must harness the power
of the greatest Muslim generation that
has ever lived to ensure a future defined by
opportunity, not dependency
22
over the
last century,
research
suggests Islam
has been good
for growth
think. magazine
february
april
2013 2013
23
24
april 2013
The internet
revolution
has opened up
opportunities
and created
challenges that
were previously
inconceivable
needs to a global audience. Modern youth,
and modern aspiration, are borderless.
This technological shift has implications for
the economic sphere in which Muslim youth
operate. But its political implications are
greater still. We must understand and respond
to the emergence of a new, cross-border
political consciousness.
These two forces demography and
technology determine the nature of
opportunity for our youth. Socially and
economically, young people in Islamic
societies want freedom. But it is not the
freedom my fathers generation fought for
freedom from colonial oppression. In an age
of self-determination and development, they
want freedom of opportunity. They want a
world-class education and the freedom to
pursue the options it brings. They want to be
active participants in new digital spaces. They
want strong democratic institutions, and open
and accountable government. And they want
to play their part in civil society, to build a
better nation with their own hands.
Our challenge is to stretch ourselves to
deliver those freedoms without sacrificing
tradition, stability or growth. By responding to
the changes they face, we can engage Muslim
youth with a clear vision of their future
and harness their untapped potential for the
benefit of all. It will require both leadership
and reform.
First, we must focus on education. Although
access is improving, young people find
that their qualifications do not match the
opportunities available in the job market.
We need a greater emphasis on vocational
and technical training, and on standards and
25
26
We should pursue
structural reforms, to
ensure that our economies
can compete in the industries
of the future. Here the youth
themselves are our guide
Finally, we must be prepared to invest
in all of our young people including
women, whose unemployment numbers are
consistently 10 percent higher than men. We
must put our confidence in Muslim youth
as full economic participants; as consumers,
employees, and entrepreneurs. And we
must be unafraid to encourage change in
institutions which stifle young peoples
opportunities. That means reforming
public services, supporting appointment by
merit, and remaining ever-vigilant against
corruption.
Together, these changes will help us
capitalize on our greatest resource: our
youth. It is up to us to show leadership, and
build economies that are prepared for the
future. We must be willing to confront old
assumptions and embrace new technologies,
to open up our economies and reform our
politics. Change will not always be easy;
there will be challenges and uncertainties.
But reform is necessary, and history shows
us it is right. The periods of greatest Islamic
influence were the most intellectually open.
To honor our past, as well as our future,
we should see our youth not as a liability,
but as an asset: an untapped resource that
will allow us to develop and modernize.
Managed properly, this resource can lay the
foundations for great success.
By focusing on economic and political
reform, we can present a compelling vision
of a future defined by opportunity, not
dependency. In so doing, we can offer young
people a meaningful stake in society. That
is not only a powerful safeguard against
disenfranchisement and extremism. It is also
our responsibility to the greatest Muslim
generation that has ever lived. l
Unemployed Tunisian
graduates at a demonstration
in Tunis to demand jobs,
September, 2012
the author
Dato Sri Mohd Najib Tun
Abdul Razak is Prime
Minister of Malaysia
and launched the Global
Movement of Moderates
in 2010.
think. magazine
april 2013
27
28
as the number
of children
born each year
decreases, the
share of the
total population
comprising
those of working
age increases,
while the share
made up of the
economically
dependent goes
down
the institutions that govern education and
employment, and the lack of flexibility
the regions employers have shown.
Moreover, there are strong and
understandable linkages between youth, their
natural idealism, the growing frustrations they
have felt in the context of economic and political
exclusion, and the potential for social upheaval.
There is a large body of analytical work that
draws strong correlations between the rise of
the youth bulge and political violence.Yet it
is the largely peaceful actions of the regions
youth in the context of the Arab Spring that
most dramatically demonstrates their potential
to effect change. And understanding the wider
demographic context provides an inspiring
subtext to the difficult challenges raised by the
youth population, one that offers a distinct
opportunity for economic growth and increased
prosperity in the region as we go forward.
As with other developing regions, the Arab
world has been experiencing a demographic
transition a long-term process of change
in population structures brought on by the
decline in fertility that accompanies economic
development. Importantly, as the number of
children born each year decreases, the share
of the total population comprising those of
Yemeni construction
workers learn international
safety standards through
the SilaQual initiative,
a Silatech program to
improve productivity and
reduce recruitment costs for
employers
the author
april 2013
29
30
31
A GENERATION AT
From Spain to America and india, youth unrest has spread around
the world. Will we see a repeat of the evenements of 1968, or are the
protests of 1989 a better guide? An acclaimed historian analyses
the trends, from the reactionaries to the radicals
THE BARRICADES?
Protestors shout slogans
against alleged corruption
scandals on the streets of
Madrid, February 3, 2013
april 2013
32
Refried elvis
april 2013
33
environment vs development
the youth issue
name of feature
young leaders
34
youth no longer
possesses a
distinctive
identity its
culture has
become ubiquitous,
encompassing
every generation
from early
childhood to
ageing hipsters
35
the author
Maria Misra is a Lecturer
in Modern History at the
University of Oxford and
a Fellow of Keble College.
Her latest book is Vishnus
Crowded Temple: India
since the Great Rebellion.
think. magazine
april 2013
36
Lo Sze Ping, 39
Environmentalist
China
37
38
Humaira Bachal, 25
Education activist
Pakistan
Correspondence
40
DOOMY DESAI
UNEQUAL MEASURES
Vuyisa Qabaka, 32
Entrepreneur and township
development leader
South Africa
the author
Rachel Aspden is a former
Literary Editor of the New
Statesman and Winston
Churchill Memorial Trust
Travelling Fellow. She is
currently writing a book about
the youth of the Arab uprisings.
As a resident of Nairobi,
I read Zoe Floods article
(Suffer the Children) with
great interest. In Kenya, a
country in which booming
economic growth tends
to benefit a select few, the
rich live in sequestered
opulence while the poor
scrape together coins to buy
their childrens way to their
fifth birthdays. Yet income
inequality likewise threatens
to tear apart the social
fabric of one of the worlds
most developed countries,
the United States. Some
US cities, such as Topeka,
Kansas, sport the same
inequality index as Nairobi,
whose squalid slums are
separated from gilded estates
by imposing wrought
iron gates.
As in the United States,
the same indifference to
the realization that the lot
of the rich and poor alike
april 2013
SPEAKING IN TONGUES
The statistics in Rachel
Aspdens analysis (Mind
your Language) presented
a fascinating portrait of
the different approaches to
mastering new languages,
and reinforced my belief
that English appears easier
write
to us
facebook.com/thinkinternationalmagazine
twitter.com/Think_QF
41
A
42
MY FIGHT
TO END POLIO
The number of
global polio cases
was less than
250 last year, but
getting rid of the
very last few is the
hardest part
assigned to any team. To make
matters worse, the estimated
distance between villages
was sometimes off by miles,
making it impossible for some
vaccinators to do the job they
were assigned.
To fix this, the polio workers
walked through all high-risk
areas in the northern part
of the country. Step by step,
they explored these areas and
spoke with people, adding
3,000 communities to the
immunization campaigns.
The program is also using
high-resolution satellite images
to create even more detailed
maps. And since the new
maps show the true distances
between settlements, managers
can now allocate vaccinators
efficiently by giving them a full
days work but no more.
The government and its
partners will need to keep
working closely to adjust tools
and approaches like these to
43
briefing
Bill Gates holds a baby during a
visit to Manhica Health Research
Center in Mozambique
44
45
april 2013
briefing
after the spring
46
47
april 2013
briefing
after the spring
People now
look to these
constitutions
and the
processes that
create them with
great hope
HISTORIC CHANGES
48
april 2013
49
Review
briefing
Think.
50
Reclaiming Rhetoric
51
the author
Rami G Khouri is director
of the Issam Fares
Institute for Public Policy
and International Affairs
at the American University
of Beirut, a syndicated
political columnist and
book author, a senior
fellow at the Harvard
Kennedy School and sits
on the Joint Advisory
Board of Northwestern
University in Qatar.
qatar.northwestern.edu
think. magazine
april 2013
Think. Review
written by Sam Leith
R
52
think. magazine
april 2013
53
Think. Review
54
the author
QatarDebate, a member
of Qatar Foundation, recently
held its fourth International
Conference on Argumentation,
Rhetoric, Debate and the Pedagogy
of Empowerment at Qatar National
Convention Centre in Doha.
qatardebate.org
think. magazine
55
Think. Review
A SOUND
REVOLUTION
56
n 1973,
snappy acronym
a group of
HIP.
written by Nicholas Kenyon
new ensembles
Many would argue
based in London
that this is musics most
were launched. The
exciting development in
Academy of Ancient Music,
recent decades, and that the
directed by Christopher Hogwood, the
recreation of the past has outpaced the
English Concert under Trevor Pinnock, and
development of contemporary music, too
the Taverner Choir and Players conducted
much of which lost touch with its listeners.
by Andrew Parrott all had the same aim of
The early music movement, however, did
rediscovering the music of the 17th, 18th
not suddenly start in 1973. That may have
and the preceding centuries, bringing it to
been when it began to make a major impact
life again with its own language and its own
on the wider record-buying and concertsounds, and recreating old instruments and
going public, but its origins can be traced
playing techniques of the time to recapture
back to over a century ago. In the 1840s the
the true spirit of the originals. If you have
popular view was memorably expressed by
ever heard Hogwoods recording of Handels
the Musical Examiner: Who ever heard of
Messiah or Pinnocks of the Bach Brandenburg a choir too large for Handel? Not though
Concertos, you have heard something of the
nations should be formed into choirs, and the
period-style performance that is now at the
genius of thunder were to swell the harmony
heart of our musical culture. It is a measure of till it shook the very spheres, would the true
its fashionable success with the public that the votary of Handel cry, Hold, enough. But
favored description of the approach is now
not long after there were those who argued
historically informed performance, with the that the gargantuan forces used for the big
think. magazine
april 2013
57
Think. Review
58
59
English choral singer Alfred
Deller, 1912-1979
think. magazine
april 2013
Think. Review
maestros who
did not actually
work with period
instruments
began to
demonstrate
signs of
development
in their
interpretations
60
the author
Sir Nicholas Kenyon is
Managing Director of the
Barbican Centre, London,
and was Director of the
BBC Proms 1996-2007. He
was editor of Early Music
1983-1992, Controller of
BBC Radio 3 1992-98,
and edited the volume
Authenticity and Early
Music.
transparent textures
april 2013
61
Think. Review
Every Monday
Letter from
SINGAPORE
by Tash Aw
62
Optimism,
iPads and pressure
think. magazine
63
T
64
he author of numerous
books, Viscount Linley is
Chairman of Christies UK
and also of Linley, the design
business he founded in 1985.
He lectures around the
world at venues including
the Metropolitan Museum
of Art in New York and the
Smithsonian Institute in
Washington DC