Paradise Beneath Her Feet
Isobel Coleman shows how Muslim women and men are fighting back with progressive interpretations of Islam to support women's rights in a growing movement of Islamic feminism.
See more in Middle East, Women
Senior Fellow and Director of the Civil Society, Markets, and Democracy Initiative; Director of the Women and Foreign Policy Program
Democratization, economic development, civil society, gender, Middle East
Women and Foreign Policy, Civil Society, Markets, and Democracy Initiative, U.S. Foreign Policy Program
Isobel Coleman shows how Muslim women and men are fighting back with progressive interpretations of Islam to support women's rights in a growing movement of Islamic feminism.
See more in Middle East, Women
It is time for multinational corporations to come to the same realization -- funding education and training female business leaders is good for business.
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Isobel Coleman states, "While Egyptians have every right to take pride in the 'people protests' that brought down the government of Hosni Mubarak, such revolutionary euphoria is premature."
See more in Egypt, Democracy and Human Rights, Political Movements
Dambisa Moyo, economist and author of "How the West Was Lost: Fifty Years of Economic Folly -- and the Stark Choices Ahead," shares her thoughts on U.S. economic leadership, China's rise, and the developments in the Middle East with Isobel Coleman, director of CFR's Civil Society, Markets, and Democracy Initiative.
See more in China, Middle East, Economic Development, Geoeconomics
Isobel Coleman writes: "If a brave new world of electoral politics does emerge, women's rights activists will have to be savvy - commanding international support without raising fears of undue Western influence."
See more in Bahrain, Egypt, Democracy and Human Rights, Women
Isobel Coleman and John Chen examine whether opportunities created by and for women in Iraq will be able to continue.
Whatever change follows Egypt's political turbulence, any new government will have to confront the country's rampant unemployment, cronyism, and other factors impeding growth and development, in addition to constitutional reform, says CFR's Isobel Coleman.
See more in Egypt, Economic Development, Political Movements
Having just returned from Egypt, the Council on Foreign Relations' Isobel Coleman sat down with CFR Director of Studies James Lindsay to discuss the recent turmoil in the country.
See more in Egypt, Human Rights, Conflict Assessment, Political Movements
Isobel Coleman discusses Yemeni reactions to the uprisings in Tunisia.
See more in Tunisia, Yemen, Civil Society, Women
Isobel Coleman says investing in midwifery programs gives Haiti's next generation a chance.
See more in Haiti, Economic Development, Women
Isobel Coleman and Charles Landow discuss how lack of good governance in Africa condemns millions to poverty and fails to unleash the continent's great potential.
See more in Africa, Elections, Civil Society, Economic Development
This module features teaching notes by CFR Senior Fellow Isobel Coleman, author of Paradise Beneath Her Feet: How Women Are Transforming the Middle East, along with other resources to supplement the text. Dr. Coleman demonstrates how influential Islamic feminist thinkers are driving social change in the Middle East to create economic, political, and educational opportunities for women.
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Isobel Coleman discusses the feminization of AIDS in Africa and two recent studies that offer hope for prevention.
See more in Sub-Saharan Africa, Health and Disease, Health, Women
The passage of a burqa ban by the French National Assembly is a response to France's "idea of women's dignity," voter support, and a desire to blunt "the rise of fundamentalism," says CFR's Isobel Coleman.
See more in France, Democracy and Human Rights, Religion and Politics
Isobel Coleman discusses an emerging movement of Islamic feminism.
See more in Middle East, Religion, Women
Isobel Coleman discusses her visit to Rwanda, and the prospects for democracy in the nation.
See more in Rwanda, Democratization, Economic Development
Isobel Coleman reviews Yemen by Victoria Clark and I Am Nujood, Aged 10 and Divorced by Nujood Ali.
See more in Yemen, Economic Development, Women, Terrorism
Isobel Coleman argues that local women can play a role in mitigating the corruption that surrounds humanitarian aid in Somalia.
See more in Somalia, Women, Foreign Aid
Isobel Coleman shows how Muslim women and men are fighting back with progressive interpretations of Islam to support women's rights in a growing movement of Islamic feminism.
See more in Middle East, Women
Following the 2009 disputed Iran presidential election, CFR's Isobel Coleman, a leading expert on women's issues, says that if Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's victory stands, "you'll see a much more restricted Iran." This will "fall heavily on women, but it won't stop them," she says.
A senior USAID official and CFR's Isobel Coleman discuss aid priorities in Pakistan and how development programs can be made more effective.
See more in Pakistan, Foreign Aid
Experts from the Council on Foreign Relations and the Saban Center at the Brookings Institution propose a new, nonpartisan Middle East strategy drawing on the lessons of past failures to address both the short- and long-term challenges to U.S. interests.
See more in Middle East, Diplomacy
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CFR Senior Fellow for U.S. Foreign Policy and author of Paradise Beneath Her Feet.
+1.212.434.9771
| Thalia Beaty |
A transformation is taking place behind the headlines in the Middle East as women are earning more college degrees, having fewer children, and are entering the workforce in unprecedented numbers. Isobel Coleman talks with Rocky Mountain PBS about these trends and their new relevance after the Arab uprisings.
On DEFCON3 with KT McFarland, Isobel Coleman speaks about the economic crisis that Egypt faces, including dwindling foreign currency reserves, strikes in Port Said, and a plague of locusts.
On "The Lang and O'Leary Exchange," Isobel Coleman comments on the culture of complicity that surrounds violence against women in India and about how women's economic rights relate to gender inequality.