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"The rise of political Islam in failed states is one of the most pressing security concerns in the world today. Given the increasingly tense interaction between the United States and Islamic countries, such as Pakistan and Iran, the potential for new Islamic regimes emerging out of failed states in Africa, Asia and the Middle East could add a notable degree of uncertainty to future international relations," writes Aisha Ahmad, a research fellow with the Belfer Center's International Security Program/Program on Religion in International Affairs.

As a child, Aisha Ahmad remembers vividly the arms bazaars in Peshawar and the throngs of bearded mujahedeen commanders as they passed through her grandfather’s smoke laden offices in the Pakistani frontier province.Though she was born in the UK and grew up in Canada, her family retained strong ties with their native community and during her youth Ahmad regularly traveled to the unruly Pakistan-Afghanistan border region.

Hot Off the Presses features some of the most recent and forthcoming books written or edited by members of the Belfer Center community.

"Trafficking in humans will forever be one of the most egregious violations of human rights. Dealing with it is a necessity, not a luxury," actress and UN Goodwill Ambassador Against Slavery Julia Ormond said at the opening of a conference organized by the Belfer Center's Program on Intrastate Conflict (ICP). "Human Trafficking and Migrant Smuggling: New Perspectives on an Old Problem" took place at the Kennedy School in December.