A team of 36 educators visit a high security prison where they were able to interview terrorists. The group went to Israel as part of a 10-day fellowship to learn more about international terrorism.
By Katy Brown
College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
Assistant Professor of Political Science Christoph Stefes recently returned from a 10-day fellowship in Israel studying international terrorism. The program, sponsored and organized by the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies in Washington, D.C., was taught in conjunction with the Jaffee Center for Strategic Studies at Tel Aviv University. Stefes was accepted to join the academic fellowship program with 36 colleagues from the United Sates and Canada from varying fields of study, including international affairs, history, political science, economics, and criminal justice.
The program contained lectures by academics, diplomats, military and intelligence officials, and politicians from Israel, Jordan, India, Turkey, and the United States. Stefes explained that in addition to the lectures, the group visited high security prisons and fortified border zones. He also participated in face-to-face interviews with jailed terrorists, visited special units of the Israeli Defense Force, and explored Jewish settlements in the Gaza Strip and West Bank. For every location visited, the group was escorted by armed security officials on armored buses.
The purpose of the program was to equip academic professionals with knowledge on terrorism and related issues to share in the classroom. Stefes said the United States’ approach to terrorism is not regarded highly by counter-terrorism officials in the Middle East. “One of the best ways for the U.S. to work on counter-terrorism methods is by decreasing the language barrier. Last year only six individuals from the United States graduated with a degree in Arabic.”
Stefes explained that there is another fellowship program offered by the FDD for undergraduate student leaders. As part of his involvement with FDD, Stefes has agreed to assist in the recruitment of candidates for the Undergraduate Fellowship program and build student groups and awareness on campus.
For more information on the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies or the Undergraduate and Academic Fellowship programs, visit http://www.defenddemocracy.org/.