(Greg Djerejian is a financial services professional and publishes the popular blog The Belgravia Dispatch) In regards to Stephanie’s answer to the second prompt, she writes: It is time to put the myth of the pre-9/11 mindset to rest… with which I think I mostly concur–save with some reservations about the level of attention both…
(Stephanie Kaplan is a Visiting Scholar at the Woodrow Wilson International Center). I agree with Matt that the notion that U.S. counterterrorism policy is largely under the purview of the military is a false one. It relates, I think, to the partisan charge that the Democrats possess a “pre-9/11 mindset” when it comes to counterterrorism….
Karen Hughes finally got a successor in her previous role as Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy, and it is entrepreneur, writer, and thinker James Glassman who was until recently Chairman of the Broadcasting Board of Governors.
(Matthew Levitt is a Senior fellow and Director of the Stein Program on Counterterrorism and Intelligence at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy).
It seems that counter-terrorism responsibility has fallen mainly under the purview of the military.
I think it’s terrific that Barack Obama went abroad to connect with leaders and some people in Europe and the Middle East. I think he should have gone to Brussels — but I can certainly embrace that he emphasized ‘engagement’ with this trip.
Perhaps Senator Joe Lieberman wasn’t totally clued in to the crowd he was hanging with, but on July 20th, he agreed to carry to President Bush a “pardon request” for a convicted terrorist that the FBI prosecuted and sent to prison for terror activities aimed against Cuba.
Ben Katcher published an interesting post just below that links my meeting tomorrow with Karen Hughes successor as Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy James Glassman and our “Terrorism Salon” taking place on the blog now.
(Stephanie Kaplan is a Visiting Scholar at the Woodrow Wilson International Center). We seem to have reached the consensus that poverty–along with other grievances such as political oppression and cultural alienation–are not reliable indicators of future terrorist activity.
(Paul Cruickshank is a Fellow at the NYU Center on Law and Security). I agree with the other panellists that no link can be demonstrated between poverty and terrorism. This is not to say that socio-economic conditions have no relevance whatsoever.
