Release date: Aug. 28, 2002
Contact: Elaine Justice, Associate Director, Media Relations,
at 404-727-0643 or ejustic@emory.edu

One Year After 9/11, Serious Challenges Remain, Say Emory Experts

In the wake of Sept. 11, the United States and the international community face tough challenges and decisions in law, human rights and economics. The new paradigms the U.S. and the world now face one year later were discussed by Emory University experts in law, politics and economics during a media forum held Aug. 27 at the university.

A list of commentators and a sampling of their comments are included below.

• Abdullahi An-Na'im, Candler Professor of Law and director of the Law and Human Rights Program, gave an overview of Islam around the world, as well as the international climate in Islamic states and human rights. He noted that 1.2 billion people – one fifth of the world's population – are Muslims, a majority speak and read English more than Arabic, and there are more Muslims in Sub-Saharan Africa than all of the Middle East.

"It is important to understand the breadth and diversity of Islam so as not to ostracize or demonize Muslims from the world stage," said An-Na'im, a Muslim from Sudan.

• Johan van der Vyver, Cohen Professor of Law and Human Rights, gave an overview of the law of war and provided an update on the International Criminal Court. According to van der Vyver, the events of Sept. 11 do not fit into the current international laws of armed conflict, since the attacks were not launched by a government, or launched solely within the U.S.

"The events of 9-11 made all the textbooks at my disposal obsolete," said van der Vyver, who teaches courses on international humanitarian law covering the laws of armed conflict.

• Carrie Wickham, associate professor of political science, outlined mainstream Islamic resistance movements, including who some of the groups are and how they work. She is teaching a new seminar this semester on contemporary Islamic politics that will explore the complexity and diversity of Muslim countries.

"As a political force, the militant, puritanical wing has received much of the attention, but that distorts the picture of Islamic political thought as a whole," Wickham said. "The moderate Islamic movements are primarily reformist and reject the use of violence to achieve goals. They attract many Muslims, especially those more educated and moderate, because they see Islamic movements as the only force, and the only means, to address the problems in their countries as advocates of political and social reform."

• Jeffrey Rosensweig, associate dean for corporate relations and director of the Global Perspectives Program at Goizueta Business School, talked about the current and future effects of Sept. 11 on the global economy. Rosensweig said he was very optimistic that the U.S. economy would recover after Sept. 11, but that the country's "own corporate malfeasance" has set back that recovery.

"The picture is as uncertain as it has ever been. I have never seen such a lackluster job market in an economy that is supposed to be growing and recovering," he said. "We are one major terrorist attack away from real economic devastation that would take a decade to recover from."

• Charles Shanor, professor of law, and a specialist on constitutional law, military law, and employment discrimination law, talked about how new legal developments in domestic security are affecting civil liberty. He touched on the imprisonment of more than 1,000 detainees without public charges or trial, the U.S. Patriot Act and the creation of an Office of Homeland Security.

"The traditional standards for seizure have been abandoned," said Shanor, adding later, "the U.S. Patriot Act reintroduces McCarthy-era tactics that raise many civilian civil rights issues."

• David Bederman, professor of law, covered the international law implications of war-planning against Iraq, and the domestic legal implications of the war against terrorism.

"This administration is not interested in building an international consensus to go to war with Iraq. However, without a broad coalition of international alliances, it will make it very difficult for the U.S. to engage in combat. This is not the same environment as in 1991,"Bederman said.

• Dan Reiter, associate professor of political science, discussed the ramifications of war with Iraq, including international relations and the role of U.S. allies.

"The threat from Saddam Hussein has been greatly overstated. Our current policies – which have kept Hussein from striking out for the most part – are better than a preemptive war," Reiter said. "There is very thin evidence tying Hussein to al Qaeda – the ties are actually stronger with Saudi Arabia. Iraq doesn't pose an immediate threat to the U.S. homeland, which is important because al Qaeda does pose a threat and should be a high priority. A war on Iraq would undermine the war on terrorism."

• Larry Taulbee, associate professor of political science and an expert on terrorism, described how the U.S. is still vulnerable to terrorist attacks, adding that the concerns and vulnerabilities of today have remained relatively the same for a quarter century. Taulbee said it is difficult to prevent attacks, no matter how proactive people are, due to the numerous facilities containing toxic and combustible materials, the easy access to information via the Internet and other technology, and potentially lethal materials that can be found at any local home supply store.

"Fighting terrorism is like playing goalie in soccer. Nobody remembers how many saves you've had when you miss a goal in the big game," he said.

Emory's Office of Health Sciences Communications will host a similar forum Tuesday, Sept. 3 dealing with the relevant bioterrorism, public health and psychological issues related to life after Sept. 11.

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