Experts available to discuss 20th anniversary of 9/11

CHICAGO — As the United States approaches the 20th anniversary of the terrorist attacks in 2001, DePaul University faculty and experts are available to give commentary and insight. Their expertise is wide-ranging, including foreign relations, diplomacy, history and religion.

Contact experts directly via email or, for assistance arranging interviews, email [email protected] or call 312-241-9856.

Tom Mockaitis, Professor of History, College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences [email protected]

Mockaitis is a nationally renowned expert on terrorism and the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. “To a significant degree, however, failure was baked into the U.S. mission from the beginning and made more likely by decisions taken in succeeding years,” Mockaitis wrote recently about the War in Afghanistan for The Hill.

• History of terrorism, insurgency and counter-insurgency
• International security and United Nations peacekeeping activities

Scott Hibbard, Associate Professor and Chair of Political Science, College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences [email protected]

Hibbard is working on a book that provides a retrospective look at U.S. foreign policy toward Islamic militancy from the Cold War to the present. 

• American foreign policy debates, past and present
• Policy failures in the war on terror, particularly as they apply to Afghanistan and Iraq
• Militarization of American foreign policy that emerged out of 9/11 terrorist attacks

Kaveh Ehsani, Associate Professor of International Studies, College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences [email protected]

Ehsani’s research focuses on the historical and contemporary impact of oil on society and politics, and the historical sociology of warfare. He recently commented on the water crisis in Iran on KPFA-FM in Berkeley, California.

• Legacies of U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East
• Development policies and environmental crises in Iran and the Persian Gulf

Molly Andolina, Associate Professor of Political Science, College of Liberal of Arts and Social Sciences [email protected]

Andolina studies U.S. government, campaigns and public opinion, with a focus on youth engagement and political socialization. “For older Millennials, 9/11 was the first political event they can remember,” says Andolina. “For younger members of this generation, as well as the generation that followed them (Gen Z), 9/11 is a historic event they learned about in school.”

• Impact of the Sept. 11th attacks, and associated “forever wars” in Iraq and Afghanistan, on the political socialization of youth and young adults
• Research of how these events are taught in school

Jocelyn Carter, Professor of Clinical Psychology and Director of Training, College of Science and Health [email protected]

Carter’s work examines family factors related to physical health and mental health in urban youth and their families, as well as stress and trauma.

• Coping with stress and anxiety around traumatic events

David J. Wellman, Associate Professor and Director of The Grace School of Applied Diplomacy, College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences [email protected]

Wellman’s work focuses on the relationship between diplomacy and religion, ecological sustainability and interreligious engagement. He recently discussed how everyone can act as a diplomat and build bridges across differences in a talk for TedXDePaulUniversity.

• Role of diplomacy in conflict
• Opportunities that 9/11 offered us as a country to build bridges among different nations and people of different faiths
• Need for increased religious literacy to avoid extremist interpretation of any tradition

Geoffrey Wiseman, Professor and Endowed Chair in Applied Diplomacy, Grace School of Applied Diplomacy, College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences [email protected]

Wiseman’s research focuses on diplomatic theory and practice. He brings diplomatic experience in Stockholm, Hanoi and Brussels, and has worked on nuclear disarmament and nonproliferation.

• Role of diplomacy in conflict
• Transparency for public in critical foreign policy decisions and diplomatic actions that are in response to terrorist acts, however reprehensible
• 9/11 as a key moment for national self-reflection about the U.S.’s role in global governance