Choose ONE of the two essays:

1. Byzantium's Greek legacy is as European and valid asis Rome's Latin offspring, but where would we expect to find it intoday's Europe? Where do we find the flavor of Byzantium today?Byzantium died in 1453, yet Eastern Europe and Western Europe, havebeen at odds and suspicious of one another's' motives since the RomanEmpire was divided. Can the Cold War be traced back to the divisionsbetween the Greek and Latin worlds when Christianity split along thesame lines, and so also split Europe? Even today suspicions of Russianactions and motives are enormous, and they also are suspicious of ours.Is there a cultural divide here going all the way back to Greece andRome?

2. Islam. Why does it seem that, in spite of theenormous gifts of the Islamic world to the culture of the West, thatthey do not seem to be able to 'play well with others'? Is thereanything intrinsic about Islam that prevents Islamic communities fromliving peacefully among others? Or is it just about radical politicsbecoming entwined with faith?