Eye on Terrorism

When we put out a call last November in the Kenyon News Digest, our e-mail newsletter, asking to hear from alumni working in fields related to terrorism, we got two kinds of responses. A few alumni vehemently objected to the idea, arguing, as one wrote, that the current focus on terrorism represents "fear-based politics trumping thoughtfulness and intellectual honesty."

Most of the responses, however, were offers of assistance. It turns out that a good number of Kenyon graduates, in a strikingly wide range of professions, are working to understand and deal with the challenges posed by terrorism.

We offer the insights of a few of them here. There are many others we don't have space to include, just as there are many other terrorism-related issues we don't have room to explore. We can't be comprehensive or definitive. But we hope this article gives our readers a sense of the expertise and diverse perspectives that Kenyon alumni are bringing to bear on a major contemporary concern.

A Bomb in the Gym

Are regional governments prepared for natural disasters, terrorist attacks, and pandemic disease? Erin McIntyre Eckert '00 has some answers.

Unpalatable Truths

Long experience on the front lines of counterterrorism serves up distasteful lessons: can we swallow them in the name of national security?

The Readiness is All

Just ask Mel Otten '73: when it comes to medical terrorism response, they also serve who only stand and wait

Homegrown Terrorism

Should Americans be concerned about domestic terrorism? Andrew Blejwas '00 encourages society to look beyond the stereotypes.

Target the Toxin

David Lenz '61 leads an effort to create a nerve-agent antidote, with help from Thomas Magliery '96

Transformation of the Flower Children

Writer Abigail R. Esman '82 reflects on how terrorism has embittered Dutch society, as Western Europe wrestles with the rise of radical Islam

The First Stage of a Hundred-year War

Are we winning the war on terror? Don't expect a knock-out punch, says Amos Guiora '79.

Teaching Terrorism

Associate Professor of Political Science David M. Rowe pushes his students to recognize the disturbing "moral logic" of terrorism

"Imagineers" to the Rescue

Can Disney magic make American airports more welcoming to foreign visitors in the wake of 9/11? Robert Gluck '93 thinks that it can--and that it's important.

No One Needed to Die

Salim Lone '65 lost dear friends and colleagues--and escaped with his own life only by chance--when terrorists bombed the United Nations headquarters in Baghdad on August 19, 2003. A veteran journalist and U.N. employee, Lone reflects on the emotions of that tragic day, on the untenable position of the U.N. in Iraq, and on the tarnished image of the international organization in the Arab world.

The anthrax vaccine that stalled

The goal: to stockpile a vaccine for civilian use. The vaccine: promising. So why is the program on hold?

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