Bipartisan discussion to address terrorist attacks

The Princeton University College Democrats and College Republicans will jointly sponsor a panel discussion on terrorism Sunday evening in an effort to help students better understand last week's tragic events.

This bipartisan event is the first that the University's Democrat and Republican student organizations have ever co-sponsored. It will feature professors Robert Finn GS '78, Gem Spectar and Michael Doran.

The discussion, which will be held at 7:30 p.m. in Frist Multipurpose Room B, will feature three members of the University faculty who are experts in the fields of international law, terrorism and U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East.

In add-ition to brief talks that the panelists plan to deliver, students will be en-couraged to ask questions in an effort to promote a serious discussion of the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11 and the United States' response subsequent response.

The first of the three panelists is Near Eastern Studies professor Robert Finn GS '78. Finn has become an expert in the field of international terrorism and has studied the subject for over 20 years.

Finn also served as U.S. Ambassador to Tajikistan, a nation just north of Afghanistan, from 1998 until this July. During that time, Finn said, the terrorist attacks on American embassies in Africa forced him and his staff to relocate to the nation of Kazakhstan for fear that the Tajikistani embassy might be the target of future terrorist attacks.

The second panelist, Dr. Jem Spectar, is director of studies at Rockefeller College and has studied international law. Spectar said he plans to discuss "the necessity and morality of the principle of self defense."

Specifically, Spectar said he hopes that "the panel discussion can shed light on the challenge America faces as it tries to respond to these terrorist attacks."

The third panelist is Near Eastern Studies professor Michael Doran, an expert in modern Middle Eastern politics.

Doran said, "I hope this discussion will raise awareness about some of the subtleties and complexities inherent in the path that [President Bush] has chosen."

Members of the College Democrats and College Republicans said they decided to co-sponsor this nonpartisan event in an effort to promote unity in the aftermath of the worst attack on America since Pearl Harbor.

"This sort of tragic event seems to dissolve party lines," said David Tukey '02, president of the Princeton College Republicans. "It is our hope that this discussion will give students the ability to create an accurate frame of reference regarding the historical context of Islamic fundamentalist terrorism."

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He added, "This will enable more productive and knowledgeable discourse, which will promote a thoughtful response from students on an individual and collective basis."

Similarly, Adam Frankel '03, co-president of the Princeton College Democrats said, "This is a chance for students to ask questions about Islamic fundamentalist terrorism and U.S. involvement in Afghanistan and the region."

"As it becomes increasingly clear that some sort of military action will be taken against Afghanistan and possibly other countries, it is important for us all to have a sense of who we are fighting and where we are fighting — and, more importantly, why these groups feel such animosity towards the United States," Frankel added.