Steven Schwartz has been documenting the Saudi "Wahhabi Lobby" and its effects for some time now (vid. "The Arab Hall of Mirrors"). As a practicing Sufi Muslim, he's particularly offended by their brand of fundamentalist hate. We're in talks to guest him in at some point for our weekly Sufi Wisdom series, and his musings on the future of Islam (vid. "A Leonardo, Not a Luther") are interesting. Right now, however, he has more pressing concerns:
"The Ingushetia raid touched off a new round of speculation about terrorist ambitions to obtain and use nuclear materials. But while the Caucasus remains the focus of atomic paranoia in the Russian and international media, there is as much or more anxiety expressed by experts about the situation of the Republic of Kazakhstan, as a territory scattered with radioactive materials left over from the Soviet era."
Kazakhstan doesn't get a lot of attention these days. But if you're trying to pay attention to the world's winds of change, for good or ill, it ought to be on your short list. Stephen Schwartz explains why, and adds some interesting notes about counter-insurgency policies and Central Asia in general.
Though I hate nitpicking regarding a man with whom I share many goals, I have issues with Schwartz.
I'm usually not one to demand people reveal their biases, but Schwartz has a great track record of overstating the practice of Sufism in Uzbekistan and turning a blind eye to Karimov's government. He works with the Islamic Supreme Council of America, a group that some consider an outlet for Uzbek propaganda used to sell itself as a supporter of Sufism as a Wahabbist alternative. Schwartz has made a similar case regarding the brand of Islam practiced in Central Asia. I can hardly agree it's like that it's as tolerant and individualist as he argues.
He is great for pointing out what he points out, but he bends things too much for my taste. I understand why he makes the case so strongly for supporting Sufism as a matter of good foreign policy, but I have to question the wisdom of that and the ethics of him rarely pointing out that he is a Sufi while making that case.