Author Archive
My pen pal Markela talked to me about a recent event in domestic terrorism in Greece. Specifically, Revolutionary Struggle, a leftist Greek terrorist group, has been arrested after being active since 2003. This group is responsible for attacking Greek government buildings and the American Embassy in Athens. Its members are known to be anti-American, anti-globalist and anti-imperialist. Read more
Charged with emotion and politics, Steven Spielberg’s Munich theatrically depicts the Mossad’s counterterrorism effort immediately following the 1972 Munich Massacre, during which the Black September Organization captured and killed eleven Israelis participating in the Munich Olympics. Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir ordered five Mossad
Munich, 2005
members to assassinate eleven Black September operatives, in direct retaliation for the eleven Israelis killed (www.fas.org). Munich tells the story of Avner, the appointed leader of this Mossad team. Avner was in the fight of his life against terrorism, but counterterrorism is humanized in this film, with a down-to-earth character that most viewers could relate to in at least a few ways. This helps provide an answer to the question of whether or not this film is fair, with Bloody Sunday as a comparison. Both films clearly express the sentiments of primarily one side of a conflict. Production techniques of Munich and Bloody Sunday vary greatly, but both convey the overwhelming, relentless fear that results from terrorism, though perhaps without actually educating the audience. Read more
Aaron Brown’s visit to our class on April 22nd helped us better understand the symbiotic relationship between terrorism and the press and helped us come closer to defining terrorism. A former anchor of CNN and a
Aaron Brown, former CNN anchor
current professor at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism, Aaron Brown is known for his coverage of September 11th, 2001, particularly of his coverage live from New York City the day of the attacks. The insights he provided were highly pertinent to our course, given his experience covering a very familiar account of terrorism. Read more
As we approach the end of our exploration of the concept of terrorism and its symbiotic relationship with the press, we realize that although our understanding of this topic has expanded immensely, a more thorough understanding would be achieved by examining public perceptions of terrorism, which have been influenced by the press. The press relays messages to the public
How does the press influence our views on terrorism?
about terrorism and very seldom do individuals receive information from sources outside the press; therefore, public perception can help us understand the relationship between terrorism and the press. Using Greg Mortenson’s holistic approach to terrorism in Three Cups of Tea as a model, our ‘Fourth Cup of Tea’ will explore how different forms of media interpret and present the concept of terrorism, often perpetuating inaccurate perceptions and instilling the fear for which terrorists strive. We will also examine how perceptions vary demographically.
My Greek penpal, Markela, and I discussed the recent suicide bombings in Russia and gender as it relates specifically to this act of terror and more generally to all acts of terror. I told her that I felt that gender is only made salient when females are responsible for terrorist acts and that this might be because these events defy gender norms worldwide of a caring, peaceful woman who raises children and takes care of her household, largely isolated from society. Read more
I had an interesting discussion with Markela regarding The Hurt Locker. Specifically, we discussed two ideas. We talked about how The Hurt Locker could potentially have been a form of war propaganda, which further explains the high praise and attention it received. We also talked about how the War on Terror is depicted as a drug in this film, which supports the idea that the film could be war propaganda. Read more
Markela has not read “Three Cups of Tea” but agrees with the message the story promotes. She said the following regarding my reaction: Read more
My Greek Pen Pal Markela has been invaluable in terms of enlightening me to different perspectives and new information. Since she studies history and communication, discussions with her are interesting and well grounded. Going backwards a little bit in our course, I would like to talk about the insights she provided me with regarding Northern Ireland conflict. Read more
Three Cups of Tea is an inspirational and educational account of Greg Mortenson’s experience as founder of the Central Asia Institute, which, by building schools and providing basic infrastructure, helps combat the impoverished conditions that fuel terrorism, specifically in the Middle East.
Greg Mortenson, founder of the Central Asia Institute
I was curious about how people in foreign countries perceived 9/11 and Markela and I had an interesting discussion about 9/11, during which I found out a lot about viewpoints other than those of Americans. Read more