I gave a lecture on 21st Century Terrorism this morning at the prestigious Universidad IberoAmericana (UNIBE). To date this was one of the larger and more enthusiastic university audiences I have had the pleasure to talk to. Special thanks to all who made my visit possible, especially my former student Vanessa who knows how to get things done in a place where it can be difficult to get things done. No further explanation should be necessary for anyone who has spent time in Santo Domingo. Things work at a different pace down here.
Since today was my only opportunity to address these history students (from various majors) and their professors, I decided to roll 3 or 4 of my presentations into one. The result was an overview of why I started studying terrorism informally 20 years ago; a comparison of Al Qaeda and Hezbollah; why and how terrorist organizations turned to the global drug trade to raise funds (the topic of narcotrafficking is obviously very hot right now in the DR); and an overview of the motivations that drive suicide bombing. Needless to say it was a lot to digest in one hour, but I was very happy with the number and quality of questions I was asked during the final Q and A period. UNIBE has some impressive folks studying there.
You can read about the lecture and see some pics here.
Special thanks to Mr. Lu of DR1 for lending his Spielberg talents to the production. There should be a decent highlight video available soon.
RHM