Columbia International Affairs Online University
There are 8 questions posted. However, you will only need to answer 5. EACH question needs to be 300-500 words and needs to have 3 resources (bibliography).
Please do not bid if you cannot guarantee an A (90 and above).
Forum 1 Question (Chapters 1-8)
1.Terrorism in History. Review some of the major historical events in history, from assassinations to revolutions to world wars. How many of these events could be perceived as acts of terrorism, or which specific acts within the events might be categorized as terrorist. For example, just considering World War II, think of all the incidents that occurred that could be “labeled” terrorist: The surprise attack on Pearl Harbor by Japan, the Bataan Death March, the treatment of Jews, Gypsies, the mentally ill, homosexuals and other political prisoners in the Nazi concentration/death camps, the Nazi bombing of civilian population centers, such as London, England, the Allied fire-bombing of Berlin and Dresden, and the dropping of a nuclear bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Some of these events caused heavy civilian casualties. Looking at them, how do they fit into the framework of acts of terrorism, acts of war, and war crimes?
- Terrorism as the Nexus of Politics and Violence. In 1997, Bruce Hoffman, an international expert on terrorism and political violence at the RAND Corporation in Santa Monica, California wrote a compelling article entitled, “The Modern Terrorist Mindset: Tactics, Targets and Techniques” (New York: Columbia International Affairs Online Working Paper, October 1997). In that article, Hoffman explores the mindset of terrorists and the tactics they use in seeking political change. He contends that terrorism is where politics and violence intersect in the hopes of producing power…power to dominate and coerce, to intimidate and control, and ultimately to effect fundamental political change. Discuss this concept in history. Has any terrorist movement ever been successful in achieving not just political change through revolution, but also long-term international recognition as a ruling party or existing government? Can you give any examples? Interestingly, Hoffman indicates that in modern time, most terrorist groups do not reach the final steps of authority and governance of their homeland or country … but that was in 1997. Have things changed, particularly in the Middle East?
- The Impact of the Crusades. Explore the History website at: www.history.com/topics/crusades. Watch the videos and read the articles relating to the Crusades. Were the Crusades sparked more by political and economic motivations or by religion? How do you think the Crusades of the 11th through 13th centuries impact current events in the Middle East, and relations between Muslims and Christians?
3.Monotheistic Religions. Compare and contrast the three great monotheistic religions of Islam, Judaism, and Christianity. List the similarities of these three religions that all believe in one God. Now list the differences. Interestingly, they all tend to be exclusive in nature, meaning that they don’t simply believe in and worship one God, but also deny the existence of the gods of any other religious faiths. Do you think that this trait has made the monotheistic religions historically less tolerant than polytheistic religions? How do you think this trait impacts terrorism?
5.MEMRI and al-Jazeera America. Visit the homepage for the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI) at: www.memri.org. MEMRI is a non-profit research institute that provides timely translations of Arabic, Farsi, Urdu-Pashu and Dari media for an American and worldwide audience. Popular as well as scholarly media from the Middle East is translated into English, French, Polish, Japanese, and Hebrew. It is one of the most widely respected and utilized online media resources relating to the Middle East. Study the website and read newspaper articles from Cairo, Baghdad, and Istanbul as well as listen to news broadcasts from Mecca, Beirut and Damascus. Visit the “Jihad and Terrorism Threat Monitor” on the site as well. How do you think MEMRI serves an American audience in understanding the Middle East? How much meaning do you think is lost in the translation of an article from one language to another? Now visit the homepage for al-Jazeera America at: www.america.aljaeera.com. Compare the two news media websites. How do they differ, or do they? How much of the media presented is formatted in an unbiased and fact-based style? What agenda does each site have, and how does this agenda impact fact-based reporting?
6.Historical Problems in the Levant. Research the Middle Eastern area known as the Levant – An area of land between Egypt, Anatolia, Mesopotamia and the Arabian Desert. The Levant is an ancient land of great historical civilizations — from the center of the Ur civilization (2100 BC) to the kingdom of Babylonia (1700 BC), to the ancient Greek and Roman Empires (300 BC to 400 AD), to the great Ottoman Empire of the 20th century – the Levant has been the crossroad for communication, trade, and commerce between the Middle East to the rest of the world (Europe). The Levant is a geographical area composed of the modern day countries of Israel, the Palestinian territories of the Gaza and West Bank, Syria, Jordan and Lebanon. It is a fertile area located on the southeastern shores of the Mediterranean Sea. Great spiritual meaning has also been given to the area of the Levant as it represents the lands of Abraham, Moses, Jesus, and Muhammad. It is also an area that has witnessed significant historical conflict. Study the countries of the Levant and focus on the current conflict in Syria. Try to identify which groups discussed in Chapter 4 are actively fighting or supporting a specific side in Syria. Now research the history of the al-Assad family in Syria. Who is Bashar al-Assad and do you think he will abdicate his monarchy in the near future? Why or why not?
7.Mass Shooters and Lone Wolves. Scour the Internet for mass shooters and lone wolf attacks in the United States. Are there any common denominators between the shooters and their horrific events of the past decade? Review the CNN story and videos on the deadliest mass shootings in the U.S.- Fast Facts at: https://www.cnn.com/2019/08/19/us/mass-shootings-fast-facts/index.htmlNow review the article entitled, “A Guide to Mass Shootings in America,” at: https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2012/07/mass-shootings-map/ Note that both articles make a difference between Mass murders (single incident) and Spree killing (Multiple incidents). View the map presented in the second story and try to identify any patterns that can be made geographically about these events. Discuss the problem of mass shootings and spree killings in class. What do you think can be done to prevent such horrific problems in the future?
8.The Benghazi Attack on September 11, 2012. On the night of September 11, 2012, a large group (over 100 people) of heavily armed insurgents attacked the U.S. Consulate office in Benghazi, Libya, killing Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens, another diplomat, and two embassy security personnel. A second assault occurred the next morning, targeting a CIA compound about a mile away from the Consulate building. The event became a major issue during the 2012 U.S. Presidential elections as President Barak Obama and then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton were assailed for not preventing nor responding correctly to the attack. The event still lingers in the background for Clinton as she seeks nominations for President. QJust hours before the incident, Aymen al-Zawahiri had issued a video to coincide with the anniversary of the 9/11 attacks in 2001, which called for attacks on Americans in Libya. Further, within the week before the attack, eight other diplomatic missions in the Middle East, Asia and Europe had encountered large demonstrations and violent attacks in response to an anti-Muslim video entitled, “innocent of Muslims. The attack in Libya was initially characterized as a spontaneous protest against the video versus a planned terrorist attack launched by radical Islamists linked directly to al-Qaeda. The attack was the subject of congressional and administrative investigations focused not only on the U.S. response to the incident, but also the larger role of the CIA’s presence in Libya. Search the web at the following sites to learn details relating to the attack on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi on September 11, 2012. For instance, see the series of articles and reviews by the Washington Post at: http://www.washingtontimes.com/specials/benghazi-attack-and-scandal/, as well as a timeline of critical events during the attack developed by the Wall Street Journal at: http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10000872396390444620104578008922056244096.
Review the following Congressional Hearings and Reports as well:
The Security Failures of Benghazi (October 10, 2012) at: http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10000872396390444620104578008922056244096
Benghazi and Beyond, Part I (November 15, 2012) and Part II (December 20, 2012) at: http://permanent.access.gpo.gov/gpo33415/pt1.pdf
http://permanent.access.gpo.gov/gpo33415/pt2.pdf
Review of the Benghazi Attacks and Unanswered Questions (September 19, 2013) at: http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/CHRG-113hhrg85095/pdf/CHRG-113hhrg85095.pdf
Do you think that the attacks in Benghazi could have been prevented? Discuss what types of security failures occurred in Benghazi and what can be done to prevent similar incidents in the future.
9.The Holocaust and Genocide. Visit the homepage of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum at: http://www.ushmm.org/. Learn about the Holocaust under Adolf Hitler and listen to the survivors and victims of this horrific event. Search the latest news and discover that genocide sadly continues today in several countries throughout the world. How do you think that genocide impacts the development of a country? Can a government ever overcome the history of genocide? Research and discuss as a class some of the more contemporary genocides observed in countries like Sudan, Rwanda, and Bosnia. Has the World Court been successful in preventing such tragedies through the prosecution of War Crimes? Why not? Now, compare these contemporary genocides with the loss of Aboriginal people in Australia and Native Americans in the United States during the 18th and 19th centuries. Do you think genocide only occurs in developing nations? What can be done to prevent these types of horrific events?
10.Hate on the World Wide Web. Visit the website of the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) and learn about hate in America at: http://www.splcenter.org/.
Study some of the available Intelligence Reports online and note the high number of active hate groups in the United States. How can you be a partner sharing the mission of the SPLC fighting hate, being a model for tolerance, and seeking justice? Think of our community; are there any visible signs of hate or intolerance in our city…in our university?