SNIPPET: "The Obama administration announced last Thursday that it has decided to join the UN Alliance of Civilizations aimed at fostering greater cross-cultural understanding but shunned by the previous Bush administration due to fears it would adopt anti-Israeli and anti-Western stances. The Alliance of Civilizations, a joint Spanish-Turkish initiative under the auspices of the United Nations, was created in 2005. “The Group of Friends brings together those countries and international organizations supportive of the Alliance of Civilizations’ goals and objectives." SNIPPET: "The decision to join grows out of Obama’s desire to broaden US participation in international groups and improve its...