Lewis & Clark College
Friday, Sept. 21, 2001
Pamplin Sports Center
Campus Forum on The Origins and Consequences of the New Terrorism
Questions from the floor welcome after each panel.
Morning Session - Moderated by Cecilia Chessa, Assistant Professor of Political Science
9:15-10:30 a.m. - Panel I: Understanding the Middle East
What are the basic beliefs and practices of Islam, and what is "Islamic fundamentalism"? Paul Powers, Visiting Assistant Professor of Religious Studies
A survey of the beliefs, practices, and history of Islam reveals that there is no necessary clash between Muslims and non-Muslims. Islamic fundamentalists, rightly or wrongly, conceive of themselves as defenders of Islam from both internal and external threats.
Whence the crisis? Zaher Wahab, Professor of Education
An examination of the roots and underlying causes of contemporary violence and terrorism, both in the Middle East and the U.S. The search for individual pathologies in a more deeply rooted social and global, systemic pathology.
What are the United States’ interests and commitments in the Middle East? Cyrus Partovi, Senior Lecturer in the Social Sciences
In the Middle East, apart from a commitment to the survival and security of the state of Israel, there are other issues of vital importance to the U.S.: freedom of commerce, especially, the availability of oil at a price not detrimental to the global economy; a commitment to the security of friendly Arab states and Turkey; containment of Iran and Iraq; freedom of the seas and the growth of Islamic fundamentalism.
10:30-11:45 a.m. - Panel II: Responses to Violence and Terror
How does one respond in the face of national trauma? Jerusha Detweiler-Bedell, Assistant Professor of Psychology
Humans cope with trauma in ways that are biologically based and evolutionarily adaptive. These hardwired ways of coping, although initially adaptive, have the potential to backfire. Healthier coping requires us to make meaning even out of seemingly meaningless events.
Another Pearl Harbor? Andrew Bernstein, Assistant Professor of History
In times of crisis, people draw upon shared memories of the past to make sense of the present and to plan for the future. In the wake of last week’s terrorist attacks, Americans have frequently invoked Pearl Harbor and World War II as a whole to deal with the situation they now face. Although this reaction is understandable, it is fraught with peril, since historical analogies, if not carefully scrutinized, often do more to mislead than to inform.
Who is guilty? Who is innocent? Roger Paget, Institutional Professor of Political Economy and Asian Studies
Our shrinking planet has forced friend and foe into painful proximity. Virtue invites new grammar under these circumstances.
Noon-1 p.m. - Lunch - Complimentary, outside the gym.
Afternoon Session- Moderated by Amy Bushaw, Associate Professor of Law
1-2:30 p.m. - Panel III: Defending Our National Security
How do we secure our nation? Sen. Mark O. Hatfield, U.G. Dubach Professor of Political Science
How do we conceptually interpret the American response to terrorism? Bob Mandel, Professor of International Affairs
This talk will discuss the underlying assumptions of U.S. government defense and intelligence agencies in preparing for and reacting to the recent terrorist attack, highlighting controversies surrounding the ways in which national security is being defined and implemented.
2:30-4 p.m. - Panel IV: Combating Terrorism Legally
Domestic Criminal Law. Susan Mandiberg, Professor of Law
How Criminal Law and Procedure Affect Our Ability to Capture and Prosecute the Perpetrators: What crimes can the government charge against persons who aided and abetted those actually on the airplanes? What about aiders and abettors who were not physically in the U.S.? Is the death penalty available? What are the legal parameters for detaining "material witnesses?" If a suspect is arrested now to prevent his or her escape, will the government have time to complete its investigation or will it have to provide a trial before it is really ready to do so?
How Criminal Law and Procedure Affect Our Ability to Prevent Future Terrorist Attacks: What is the current law on searches and seizures (including wiretaps)? What changes might Congress make to the current statutes? Are these changes constitutional?
Constitutional and Statutory Law. Bill Funk, Professor of Law
The Senate Joint Resolution authorizing the President to take action; the Executive Order prohibiting assassination; the International Emergency Economic Powers Act; how all of these relate to the Constitution’s Declaration of War provision; the ability to override treaties and international law as a matter of domestic law.
International Law. John P. Grant, Visiting Professor of Law
The use of the term "war" and its meaning in international law. The range of options open to the U.S. and the legality of these options under international law: Force against another state in self-defense; force against another state under the U.N. Security Council authority.
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