While I think we are all aware of terrorism, the SRA Club event held yesterday night was very eyeopening. Speaking to an almost entirely male audience in the IST Building Cybertorium (a quite impressive room btw, having never been) , Dr. John Horgan, Dr. Mia Bloom, and Donald Shemanski discussed moderated questions for more than an hour.

The seminar began with questions about domestic terrorism, which all seemed to be answered with certainty only hesitantly, as the incidents the moderator brought up had happened so recently, specifically the Ft. Hood shootings and the threat of bombs being placed at football stadiums. When it came to other questions, however, such as the role of women suicide bombers and the effectiveness of deradicalization efforts in Saudi Arabia, answers and rebuttals were much more forthcoming. A particularly interesting exchange between the panelists concerned the success of using “enhanced” interrogation methods, with Drs. Horgan and Bloom opposed, and Mr. Shemanski in favor.

On the whole, the SRA Club held a very interesting and thought-provoking event. There will be another terrorism seminar in the spring for those who would like to attend. Additional information about the SRA Club can be found here.