Exiled and brought back by popular demand, she was assassinated in 2007. Mo Yan: Mo Yan is an incredibly prolific and respected author in modern China, whose works are largely concerned with social commentary. He was formerly a soldier in the People's Army and is a member of the ruling Communist Party.

Khmer Rouge: The followers of Pol Pot and the Communist Party in Kampuchea (now Cambodia) were known as the Khmer Rouge. The regime is noted for the massive human rights violations and state-sponsored murders in the guise of social engineering.

Nigeria and Biafra: Biafra was a secessionist state in Nigeria populated largely by the Ibo people. The secession of te state, which was recognized by several neighboring African countries, sparked a civil war in Nigeria that resulted in many deaths.

Six Day War: A conglomeration of Arab and Islamic states, especially Egypt, Jordan, and Syria, attacked Israel in what became known as the Six Day War. The result was Israeli control over large portions of formerly Arab land, with political repercussions to this day.

Negritude: A movement among French-African writers that saw a common black identity as a rejection of French colonial culture. They saw common black identity rather than national/ethnic differences as a primary method for combating imperialism/colonialism.

The Rights of Women in the Developing World

Most cultures in the world have developed and remained patriarchies throughout much of world history. This has had very different effects in traditional societies than it does in modern societies, however, and is difficult to truly understand from a modern patriarchal perspective. Women in Islamic and/or Arabic countries, as well as in...

At the same time, they have also been better respected in many traditional cultures (as well as able to wield power in both official and unofficial ways) in traditional culture than they have been in Western cultures, and in these countries following the beginning of the modern era. The complex history of the roles and rights of women in these countries and in the world as whole has led to complex changes in the ways women are treated and viewed in these societies, and in their possible future developments.
The political and religious leaders throughout the world have almost universally been male, with practically no exceptions. Women have been barred from property ownership and many other means of attaining power and independence, which has denied them many sexual and familial rights, as well. This becomes a self-perpetuating problem, where women are raised to be subservient and expect a lack of equality, and are less prepared to handle independence even if it were offered to them. Strict traditional societies also greatly revere the women that are, of course, a vital part of the society and of family and even political life. In the modern age, the attendant reverence and respect that was a fundamental part of many traditional societies and religions was greatly diminished, as political systems became more Westernized without (relatively recent and often non-existent, admittedly) attendant changes in the cultural view of women and other marginalized populations. There has also been a backlash of religious and cultural fundamentalism against the new political systems in these countries, with negative effects on women.

The future, therefore, seems to hold mixed promises. On the one hand, there is definitely evidence that women are becoming more respected in political and economic positions sin these countries, but religious fundamentalism also holds a grip on many of these countries (particularly in Islamic regimes). This suggests that while the rights of women will continue to steadily advance in the twenty-first century, the road ahead is not an easy one.