Preamble:

This semester, you have observed a variety of "practitioners" of foreign affairs, all involved in some way with the issue of international terrorism. Each is involved in somewhat different aspects, each with a unique perspective. You have had a chance to hear them talk and to interact with them about their professions and their lives, as well as about the substance of the problem.

It is now eight months since the events of September 11, 2001. Think back to your immediate reactions to those events, and to the reactions of your friends and of the U.S. government. Now there's been time for some "space" to develop after those initial reactions. Think about how your own views may have changed since that terrible day.

Write:

Honors students have a choice of either assignment. You may choose this Honors assignment, or you may choose to write the same assignment as others in the class. Neither choice is preferred. It's your choice.

You are the President of the United States. It's late spring. You decide to take a long weekend at Camp David, the Presidential retreat, where you can spend some time walking in the woods, talking with your closest advisers, and avoiding public statements to the news media.

With a fire crackling in the lodge on a crisp spring evening and a glass of something soothing to drink, you sit down at your diary and decide to ruminate about international terrorism. For months, you've had advice from many experts, including (but not limited to):

• a professor who has studied for decades the way American government works, and how it has responded to terrorism
• a prominent journalist who has met and understands Osama bin Laden
• an American ambassador to the Persian Gulf who has lived in the Arab world for decades
• an American ambassador who lived through the bombing of the USS Cole, the Iran-Iraq war and the 1991 Gulf War
• an Israeli analyst who has studied the Islamic world and has lived with terrorism in his own country
• an Egyptian ambassador who lived through all the Arab-Israeli wars but also was instrumental in the peace process
• an FBI agent who investigated the 1993 World Trade Center bombing and other acts of terrorism, and who struggled to gain the resources needed to do the job
• a national newspaper columnist who has traveled widely abroad and who critiques domestic policy regularly
• a professor/journalist who has covered terrorism for many years and has observed the response by the news media and the public

Write your "memoir" of these past eight months, not so much recounting the events as synthesizing what you have discovered since the twin towers and the Pentagon were attacked. How have these practitioners affected your thinking, your understanding of terrorism, your understanding of how the world sees the United States. Remember: this is a memoir; you're encouraged to reveal any "surprises" you encountered along the way and to indicate how these practitioners confirmed or refuted your own preconceptions about this issue. Draw on common or contrasting themes you discovered as you met each of the visiting speakers in the Global Agenda series.

Use specific examples from our speakers, our readings and our classes. Remember that webcasts of six of our speakers are available via the course web site, should you wish to review their remarks or obtain direct quotes.

Because this is a "memoir," you need not use formal source citations. But if you wish to do so, you may.

Aim for about 5-7 pages. This is a "think piece." There's no "right answer."