Newswise — Florida State University’s nationally regarded experts in terrorism, grief, economics, religion, media and culture and foreign relations are available to answer media questions and provide comment and analysis on the ramifications of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
TERRORISM
•David A. Siegel, assistant professor of political science: [email protected] (easiest to reach by email); (850) 645-0083Siegel’s research focuses on terrorism and political violence. He can discuss issues relating to mass mobilization, social influence, and the structure and functions of terrorist organizations:
“After 10 years of war, we have dealt serious blows to the military capacity of al-Qaida and several of its affiliates. Our next challenge should be to consolidate and maintain these gains while taking advantage of other groups' (Hezbollah, Hamas) inclusion in the political process and status as social service providers to transition them into mainstream political organizations.”
GRIEF
•Sally Karioth, professor of nursing and certified traumatologist: (850) 644-6845; [email protected]Karioth, a nationally recognized expert on grief, trauma, stress and compassion fatigue who counseled the survivors of the terrorist attack on the Pentagon and children who lost parents in the World Trade Center, can address the ways in which the nation grieved in the aftermath of the terrorist attacks:
“As horrific as 9/11 was, it accomplished one important thing,” Karioth said. “It united us as Americans, as Pearl Harbor did the generation before us. Yet, it was also a wake-up call to remind us that not all the world shares the values of Americans. So 10 years later, we should take the opportunity to look inward. To contemplate how our nation should interact with the rest of the world. Anniversaries remind us of what we have lost, of how far we have come — and sometimes how far we still have to go.”
ECONOMY
•Paul Beaumont, associate professor of economics: (850) 644-7085 or (850) 567-2022; [email protected]Beaumont, an expert on the economics of the Middle East and North Africa and Islamic finance, can address the long-term economic effects of the Sept. 11 attacks and the protracted wars in Afghanistan and Iraq that followed them:
“Over the past decade, the United States has spent about $1.2 trillion — or $11,000 per U.S. household — on the Afghanistan and Iraq wars,” Beaumont said. “This is roughly equal to the amount of money that we have spent on oil imported from the Middle East over the same period of time. This spending has had a dramatic effect on U.S. domestic and foreign policy, as well as world financial markets. Meanwhile, over the past decade we have spent less than a dollar per U.S. household on non-military economic aid to the entire Middle East and North Africa region. The average American is less aware of these numbers than the participants of the Arab Spring uprising, who will be keeping a close eye on U.S. policy in the region over the next couple of years.”
•Randall G. Holcombe, DeVoe Moore Professor of Economics (available Aug. 16-Sept. 5 and after Sept. 8): (850) 644-7095; [email protected]Holcombe’s areas of specialization are public finance and the economic analysis of public policy issues. He is the author of 12 books and more than 100 articles in academic and professional journals. Holcombe also served as a member of Florida Jeb Bush’s Council of Economic Advisors from 2000 to 2006. He can discuss the continued economic ramifications of the events that followed Sept. 11:
“Our reaction to the 9/11 attack was to initiate wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and to create a Department of Homeland Security to try to prevent future attacks,” Holcombe said. “These activities drain money from the economy that could have been put to productive use. Current GDP is probably about 1.5 percent lower today, or about $225 billion lower, than it would have been if economic growth had not been slowed by these 9/11-related expenditures. Estimates of the property damage, earnings losses and cleanup from the 9/11 attacks are in the range of $35 to $40 billion, so our response to 9/11 has cost our economy much more than the damage of the initial attack.”
RELIGION
•John Corrigan, Lucius Moody Bristol Distinguished Professor and chairman of the Department of Religion: (850) 644-8094 or (850) 459-2216; [email protected]Corrigan is the author of several books and articles on religion in America and religious violence, including the 2010 book “Religious Intolerance In America” (UNC Press), which addresses the long history of religious violence in America. He also is the author of a textbook, “Religion In America,” (8th ed.), in which he discusses religion in America post-Sept. 11:
"In the wake of the 9/11 attacks and in recent events such as the debate over the Lower Manhattan Islamic center, polls have disclosed the fractured nature of American thinking about religious tolerance, with a large majority of Americans affirming the principle of freedom of religious freedom while many of those same persons express the opinion that the religious practice of various others is unwelcome."
•John Kelsay, Distinguished Research Professor of Religion and associate dean of the College of Arts and Sciences (will be unavailable Sept. 6-12): (850) 645-8828; [email protected]Kelsay’s expertise is in the area of Muslim political and religious thought, including the law of war. He is the author of “Arguing the Just War in Islam” (Harvard, 2007), which provides a systematic account of the claims advanced by Osama bin Laden and others in relation to the tactics of al-Qaida, as well as an examination of Muslim response to those claims:
“Ten years after 9/11, the death of Osama bin Laden and the events of the Arab Spring raise important questions about the future of al-Qaida and its program of armed resistance. While the situation is uncertain, and the group is liable to take on new forms, I think it will remain a force for the foreseeable future.”
MEDIA AND CULTURE
•Jeanette Castillo, assistant professor of digital media: (850) 644-8773 or (812) 272-3307; [email protected]Castillo researches the Internet and democracy and will be following the online activities of Americans who are commemorating the Sept. 11 anniversary, particularly on Twitter. She can discuss the role of social media in reflecting on the anniversary and helping to shape the nation’s moods and opinions. She also can discuss the role of comedy in sharing news via social media:
“There is an interesting phenomenon in which we use humor to help heal our collective sorrows in difficult times, and the nature of the jokes we make and accept about such events help form our collective narratives and understanding of them. The Onion, Jon Stewart and others provided a barometer of our stages of grief immediately after the Sept. 11 attacks. Controversies surrounding the use of Sept. 11 in campaign advertising mark it as a still-touchy subject in public discourse.”
FOREIGN RELATIONS
•Alec G. Hargreaves, Ada Belle Winthrop-King Professor of French and director of the Winthrop-King Institute for Contemporary French and Francophone Studies: (850) 644-8559 or (850) 443-7049; [email protected]Hargreaves is an expert on French relations with the Islamic world, including security issues:
"Most Americans remember France's opposition to the U.S.-led Iraq war,” Hargreaves said. “Far fewer realize that since 9/11, France has been a staunch ally of the United States in Afghanistan, making it the target of growing threats from al-Qaida.”
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