There is considerable cultural diversity in the world, a fact that deserves celebration and support. Nonetheless, there is considerable controversy over some cultural practices and the extent to which they can be prevented or condemned. Female genital mutilation (called female circumcision by some) is one such practice. A similar controversy is now arising over male circumcision. One wonders if there are any truly universal moral codes.
Foreign Policy has published an essay that posits an interesting theory of foreign policy, one that suggests that attitudes toward other states are primarily the result of intra-elite rivalry as opposed to the actual behavior of the affected state. This theory is based on the anti-American attitudes in countries, primarily Pakistan. It is hard to tell how generalizable this theory might be, but it is quite different from our intuitive sense of what foreign policy is.
Rock and Roll is sometimes interpreted in a profoundly political manner (in fact, it is always political). Often, however, the politics of Rock and Roll become explicit and, under those circumstances, it is considered subversive. The 1960s and 1970s were the last period in which music identified an alternative politics. With Pussy Riot, it may be the case that a similar phase could be ushered in.
World Politics News 
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