"Economics versus Extremism: The New Muslim Middle Class and Ideological Shift in the Muslim World"

Vali Nasr, Professor of International Politics at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy of Tufts University, presented a public talk titled, "Economics versus Extremism: The New Muslim Middle Class and Ideological Shift in the Muslim World," at 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday, December 8, in Bowl 016, Robertson Hall. Vali Nasr, a specialist on political and social developments in the Muslim world, is a Senior Advisor to Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan for the U.S. State Department. For a full bio, go to http://wws.princeton.edu/event_rep/ValiNasr12_08/

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News & Politics

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• Woodrow Wilson School
• Princeton University

[CytotaandAcytota]

Democratising and normalising relations with any part of the world, not just the muslim world, is in the long run good for our species as a whole. But the current power centres as they are don't want this to happen as it isn't good for their own short term interests.

This is often hard to see as there is a brutal PR campaign designed to keep these interests suppressed. However highlighting and disseminating them is in actual fact a more patriotic thing to do than to shout.

[CytotaandAcytota]

The fact remains that current US policy is continually damaging itself both in image and economically in a globalised world. Maybe a minority of elites are getting their invested interests as they want but the majority of western populations are suffering. Actually there is a technical term for consequences such as the public being affected badly. They're known as exteralities.

[Adnowwwwn]

The idea that the US could EVER invest into Egypt, remove Mubarak and install a proper democracy is absurd! The first thing they would do is open the Gaza border. And if the economy grew, God forbid! The US and its allies would be going bonkers.

Its almost as if he's deceiving the Western governments to force progressive change in Muslim countries with this complex theory that it will end extremism...lol.

The truth, as we've seen from Muslim middle class terrorists is to the contrary.

[Adnowwwwn]

Interesting ideas but I can't help but fundamentally disagree with them...

The rise of a Muslim middle class is the Western world's WORST NIGHTMARE. That is why its ONLY major Muslim allies are states with authoritarian governments which have closed economies.

Turkey's middle class alone is a major problem for the US as its foreign policy has been changing, and any state with a strong Muslim middle class driven economy would undoubtedly be hostile to American policies.