Lessons of 9-11

“UMBC Reflects and Acts” is a series of events commemorating the anniversary of Sept. 11, teach-ins hosted by UMBC faculty and staff and service events.

Lessons of 9-11

 

On the afternoon of September 11, 2001, the UMBC community gathered for a campuswide teach-in. Faculty, staff and students came together to listen and learn from one another.

Now as UMBC marks the first anniversary of September 11, faculty members with expertise on terrorism and American/Middle East relations reflect on the issues surrounding the 9-11 attacks.

For a complete listing of UMBC events remembering 9-11, including teach-ins by many of the faculty members below, please visit the UMBC Reflects and Acts” home page at http://www.umbc.edu/9-11

Devin Hagerty, Assistant Professor, Political Science

Hagerty will lead a teach-in entitled “The War on Terror in South Asia: Who’s Winning?” on September 17 at noon.

Hagerty is an expert on South Asian politics and American foreign policy in the region. Since 9-11 he has continued to teach about the dangers of nuclear proliferation between India and Pakistan and the need for the West to rebuild and democratize Afghanistan after a generation of war.

Power without purpose is a recipe for bad foreign policy. America has struggled since the Cold War’s end to find its purpose in the world. In the most dramatic way possible, 9-11 demonstrated the imperative to define what kind of world we want to live in. One thing is clear: most terrorists hail from countries where democratic norms are absent and basic civil rights are denied. America can do a lot more to promote and assist liberalizing political reform movements, particularly in the Middle East and South Asia.”

Anne Brodsky, Assistant Professor, Psychology, and Affiliate Assistant Professor, Women’s Studies

Before 9-11, Brodsky was already working with underground groups like RAWA, The Revolutionary Association of the Women of Afghanistan, to fight for the rights of Muslim women under the Taliban and other fundamentalist groups. Brodsky’s book, With all our Strength: The Revolutionary Association of the Women of Afghanistan,” will be released in Spring 2003.

The stark realities of life in post Taliban Afghanistan are not dampening the spirit and resistance of the Afghan people. After 24 years of war and destruction they have grown unfortunately accustomed to the fact that the promises of liberation and rebirth offered by regime after regime, from the Soviets … through the Taliban, to the current transitional government …have never been realized, but that the average person can make a difference…Because they speak out …in favor of democracy and women’s equality, groups like RAWA are still at risk…But they believe in the desires of the ordinary Afghan people for peace, security, democracy and the education banned under the Taliban.”

Christopher Hewitt, Associate Professor, Sociology

Hewitt studies, writes and teaches on government policies to reduce terrorism, comparisons of social violence in different nations and social inequality. His new book, “Understanding American Terrorism: From the Klan to al Qaeda,” comes out on September 11.

Since 9-11, the U.S. government has spent billions on programs and technology to prevent a weapons of mass destruction terror attack. But experts agree that we are much more likely to see a low-level attack in the U.S. That money, energy and effort would be put to much better use on common-sense, relatively low-cost measures, such as establishing a national ID card system and more focused law enforcement. We need a cost-benefit analysis that weighs the financial price and effectiveness of anti-terror measures along with the public inconvenience and aggravation. The real answer to better homeland security isn’t money or technology, but more sensible policies.”

Louis Cantori, Professor, Political Science

Cantori will co-lead a teach-in entitled “A Critique of American Policy in the War on Terrorism” on September 17 at 4 p.m.

Cantori has lived and studied extensively in the Middle East, and is highly involved with some of the world’s most prominent Christian-Muslim relations groups. He recently returned from Khartoum, Sudan where he was part of a study team addressing the problems of the Sudanese civil war and Sudanese/American relations.

On September 11, Muslims on the one hand roundly condemned the slaughter of the American innocents, but on the other embraced Bin Laden’s political agenda. This increased hostility towards the U.S. has three causes: American uncritical support of Israel, the view on the Arab streets that the U.S. condones the deaths of 500,000 Iraqi children caused by economic sanctions, and the U.S. support of allied Arab despots in the repression of their own people. Today, Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon is deemed ‘a man of peace’ while simultaneously engaged in a war against Palestinian terrorists, the invasion of Iraq is openly contemplated, and the despots are now assisting in the war on terrorism by increasing repression of their domestic opponents. The Middle East today is far more dangerous than it was a year ago.”