In the wake of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, Cornell's College of Agriculture and Life Sciences has begun to assemble a spring semester course on terrorism's effect on global development. To preview the course, more than 300 students and faculty attended a forum-style presentation featuring four experts on the Middle Eastern region, Nov. 8, in Call Alumni Auditorium of Kennedy Hall.
Lawrence Busch, distinguished professor of sociology at Michigan State University, began the discussion by giving his view of some underlying causes of terrorism. For one thing, he said, America's foreign policy seems to be akin to "How to Make Enemies and Influence People."
From a sociological perspective, Busch said, the roots of terror often thrive in countries suffering from severe poverty and lack of resources. The ingredients are rapid downward mobility, a sense of righting real or imagined wrongs and a cult-like atmosphere. All of this adds up to creating the circumstances that lead to war, Busch said. He argued that this conflict will escalate and will hurt the U.S. economy. "If you liked Vietnam, you'll love this war," he suggested.
Busch said the current U.S. administration must restore domestic civil liberties, end the United States' "go-it-alone" foreign policy, halt America's role as the world's arms supplier and renew America's commitment to ending economic and social desperation. Busch further suggested that the United States focus on supporting micro-enterprises and extending micro-credit in the Afghan region.
To stop terrorism, Busch said, "We must design global markets that promote equity."
Samer Alatout, a Cornell visiting assistant professor in Near Eastern studies, is an expert on the role of water knowledge and politics in the construction of Israeli and Palestinian political identities and cultures.
In his talk, Alatout focused on issues of globalization, development and terror. He argued that terror is the result of economic, political and cultural marginalization. He went on to caution against distinguishing between acts of terror and acts of war. Both should be seen as acts of "violence," he said. The only way out from this historical impasse is through "building global networks of peace" that could replace "global networks of terror and war," he said.
In the current crisis, "all sides are shooting but no one seems to be listening," said Omer Saeed Bajwa, Cornell graduate student in communication. Bajwa's master's thesis, "Negative Media Coverage of Islam," examines anti-Islamic rhetoric in Western media. It also examines the representations of Jihad in the Western press, a subject Bajwa had studied before the Sept. 11 attacks.
Bajwa, who grew up in Binghamton, N.Y., said that Osama bin Laden is a master of propaganda and of rhetorical rage.
Ronald J.Herring, Cornell's J.S. Knight Professor of International Relations and the director of the Mario Einaudi Center for International Studies, suggested that Washington's foreign policies contribute to anger against America in many parts of the world. "We are reaping some of the consequences of the arrogance of power," he said. "International public opinion is less supportive of the war than is often claimed. A recent poll in 12 nations suggests more support for treating the outrages of Sept. 11 as criminality than as a cause for war," he said.
Susan Henry, dean of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences moderated the forum, and audience members were invited to ask questions. Addressing a question about ridding the world of terrorism, Busch said he believes that that will never fully happen. "Getting rid of terrorism is impossible," he said. "What we need to do is eliminate the conditions leading to [the development of] terrorism."
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