University of Wisconsin professors and students met at the Memorial Union Monday to discuss security issues and the role of universities in the world after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.
The discussion, titled “9/11 Three Years Later: What Have We Learned? What is the Role of the University?” touched on more than just security issues, but also included the need to expedite cooperation with the international community.
The discussion featured UW international studies dean Gilles Bousquet, history professor Jeremi Suri, political science professor Orfeo Fioretos, history professor Brenda Gayle Plummer and political science professor Tamir Moustafa.
Suri said Sept. 11 created an impetus to change conventional thinking about national security. He challenged several assumptions that may not apply in solving new security issues.
The solutions to military threats do not always come from increased cultural interaction, Suri said, and superior technology does not always translate into more security for a country.
Fioretos discussed the deterioration in relations between the United States and Europe in the last few years. He said the foundation for a strong relationship still exists, but, as of now, approval for the United States has experienced a sharp decline in Europe.
The cross-Atlantic rift may stem from different approaches to terrorism between Europe and the United States, Fioretos asserted. While the United States aggressively responded to the attacks of Sept. 11, Europeans simply view terrorism as an “inevitable trouble.”
Moustafa detailed his reaction to the findings of the Sept. 11 Commission, saying the commission ignored underlying problems in U.S.-Middle East relations.
“I was extremely disappointed with the report’s findings,” Moustafa said. “Why? Because of its excessive focus on technical aspects of national security and its insufficient examination of the root causes of political turmoil in the Middle East today.”
Moustafa noted only seven of the report’s 576 pages explore the political context of the region.
Moustafa argued the lack of emphasis on political turmoil stems from an effort by the Sept. 11 Commission to avoid critiques of American policy and promote national unity at home.
The five speakers agreed that UW could do more to offer students different approaches to looking at security issues.
“There is an urgency on campus that we must do more to accelerate internationalization,” Bousquet said. “We need to stress the importance of international content in our core courses across the disciplines. We need to realize we are not only a major public research university in America. We are also a global university.”
Suri said the university lacks the resources to create new classes exploring security issues.
Bousquet noted security studies would continue to evolve in the near future.
“We are just beginning to fathom what it means to live, to work and to think in a post-Sept. 11 world.”
