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New book examines consequences of 9/11 around the world
2:21 p.m., March 27, 2007--A new book, The War on Terror in Comparative Perspective: U.S. Security and Foreign Policy after 9/11, edited by Mark Miller, Emma Smith Morris Professor of Political Science and International Relations at UD, and Boyka Stefanova, assistant professor of political science at the University of Texas at San Antonio, addresses the consequences of 9/11 on U.S. national security and the foreign policy process, the global war on terror and U.S. bilateral relations with individual countries. Published by Palgrave, the book is a compilation of input from authors from eight countries, some of whom participated in sessions of Fulbright Study of the United States Institute on U.S. National Security Policy Formulation in an Era of Globalization, which UD's Department of Political Science and International Relations held in cooperation with the Center for International Studies from 2003-05. “It's a very broadly comparative examination of the progress or lack thereof of the war on terror,” Miller, who led the project, said. “Many of the contributors were participants in the institutes. It is an epistemic community, a community of specialists who share a common specialized knowledge. So, when I wrote the grant proposal, I said we would be trying to fashion an epistemic community that would last longer than the institutes.” Stefanova, Miller's former student who received her master's degree and doctorate in political science and international relations from UD in 2002 and 2004, respectively, said that while the book focused on regional and country-specific responses and consequences, it redresses the balance between change and continuity in the international system brought about by the war on terror. “The synthesis of opinions and perspectives into a comprehensive yet comparative study of the impact of Sept. 11 on U.S. foreign policy makes a contribution to the literature by introducing a historico-analytical perspective on change and continuity in U.S. national security policy after 9/11 with respect to its bilateral relations with a number of countries, such as the Czech Republic, Japan, Spain, as well as its regional implications in Africa, Latin America, Southwest Asia, the Arab-Israeli conflict and the Muslim community at large,” Stefanova said. In the introduction, Miller and Stefanova wrote: “Even if there is a consensus that 9/11 changed the world, how do we determine the nature and scope of change? One of the approaches is to provide an assessment of the historical trends, which such profound shocks have altered or have failed to alter, and to evaluate the directions of change with regard to actors, structures and processes. “Notwithstanding their diversity, all contributions to this volume are united by a common concern--the prospects for peace, cooperation and the effectiveness of foreign policy to address issues of existential importance to international relations.” The goal of the Study of the United States Institute, which was sponsored by the U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, was to facilitate a more informed exchange of ideas, discussions and understanding between scholars and opinion leaders in the U.S. and in other countries. The program was an intensive academic process that included lectures, readings, discussions, guided excursions and informal social activities with faculty, students and members of the larger community. The institute was designed to consider policy from both pragmatic and theoretical perspectives. Miller, whose field is international and comparative politics with a focus on migration issues, joined the UD faculty in 1978. He was appointed Emma Smith Morris Professor of Political Science and International Relations in 2004 in recognition of his distinguished record as a scholar and a teacher and his outstanding service to UD. Miller received his bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees from the University of Wisconsin and also received a French government scholarship for dissertation research on immigrant political participation in Western Europe at L'Ecole des Hautes Etudes in Sciences Sociales in Paris. Stefanova specializes in European politics, political participation and comparative foreign policy. Her published work and research interests focus on European and international security and conflict resolution. Article by Martin Mbugua |
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