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Students Grill Experts on Terrorism Issues

16 November, 2001

November 15, 2001, Arlington, VA - A group of nearly 50 freshmen from Bucknell University's Society and Technology college visited with experts at the Potomac Institute for Policy Studies' International Center for Terrorism Studies (ICTS) in Arlington, VA today. In the meeting, ICTS staff addressed the students' personal and academic concerns regarding a spectrum of terrorism issues, ranging from biological threats to the psyche of suicide terrorists.

"This forum gave tomorrow's leaders the chance to learn about the issues that will determine the future safety of our nation, our world, and our freedoms," said Professor Yonah Alexander, the director of the ICTS. Prof. Alexander, who has authored and edited more than 80 books on terrorism and international studies, led off the meeting, which consisted of brief presentations followed by question and answer sessions with the students.

One student asked about the prospects of defeating terrorists such as Usama bin Laden. In response, Prof. Alexander reassured the audience saying, "The whole world is fighting against bin Laden, so we're not going to cave in to these terrorists. We're going to be victorious, because we have a sound value system. Also, we need to have the political will to mobilize all our capabilities, both civilian and military, to combat terrorism at home and abroad."

Following Prof. Alexander's presentation, the Institute's president, Dr. Dennis McBride, discussed the psychology of terrorism. His talk prompted a student to ask how suicide terrorists can be stopped if they're willing to die for their mission, to which Dr. McBride responded, "The answer is: computers, computations, and looking for patterns." By tracking red flags, such as people who take lessons in level flying, but in not take-off or landing, for example, it may be possible to forecast potential terrorist activity.

Dr. Stephen Prior, director of the Potomac Institute for Policy Studies' National Security Health Policy Center then presented his assessment of the threat of terrorists' use of biological weapons. When asked about the capability of terrorists to perpetrate a large scale biological attack on the public, Dr. Prior pointed out that, as the target population increases, the resources a terrorist needs increase and, thus, his chance of success diminishes.

"If you're trying to kill 10 to 15 people, then you're looking at a very low level of biological capability. But, if you're trying to achieve mass destruction with an agent such as smallpox, then you need a full-blown facility. And, it's much easier to detect a biological weapons facility than it is to find a brave man and a bathtub," Prior said, referring to the concept of a lone terrorist brewing up biological weapons in his bathroom.

David Siegrist, a senior fellow at the Institute and member of its Combating Biological Terrorism project, completed the presentations with his analysis of public health response capabilities (consequence management) and requirements. Siegrist stressed the need for improved communications among the nation's health departments, as well as for increased capabilities at hospitals. When asked about the outlook for combating biological threats, Siegrist expressed hope for many of the new approaches being studied, such as precautionary irradiation of mail and development of viruses that actually attack diseases. "The key is to achieve the correct balance between security and freedom. And, my hope is that weíll be able to achieve maximum public safety while minimizing the limitation of personal freedom."

The students' visit was sponsored by Bucknell University's Residential Colleges program. In the program, groups of first-year students live together, attend a foundation seminar three times a week, and participate in activities such as the fact-finding expedition to the ICTS.

Established in 1998, the Potomac Institute for Policy Studies' International Center for Terrorism Studies (ICTS) is a non-profit research organization dedicated to educating the public and the nation's policymakers about the nature and intensity of, and most effective responses to, the terrorist threat in the 21st century. ICTS serves as the coordinating body for three worldwide consortia of universities and think tanks: the Inter-University Center for Terrorism Studies, the Inter-University Center for Information Warfare and Cyber-terrorism Studies, and the Inter-University Center for Science and Technology Studies. ICTS is also affiliated with the Inter-University Center for Legal Studies at the International Law Institute.