MEDIA ADVISORY
September 20, 2001FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Amy Murray (614) 292-8385 Jeff Grabmeier (614) 292-8457
Ohio State faculty with expertise in foreign relations, the Middle East, Arab Americans and the war on terrorism are available to the media.
Stephen F. Dale, professor of history. Phone: (614) 292-6722; E-mail: Dale.1@osu.edu
Peter Hahn, associate professor of history. Phone: (614) 292-7200; E-mail: Hahn.29@osu.edu
· A specialist in United States diplomatic history in the Middle East since 1940, Hahn cites a cultural clash between Islam and the Western world as the motivation behind the terrorist attacks on the United States. He says there is a perception that the values of the West are opposed militarily, culturally and historically to Islam. He also says the role of U.S. policy in the Arab-Israeli conflict is only somewhat related to the terrorist attacks.
Marsha Hamilton, associate professor and librarian at the Ohio State University Libraries. Phone: (614) 292-6314; E-mail: Hamilton.8@osu.edu
· Hamilton has studied American popular cultural images of Arabs, the Middle East, and Islam for 25 years. Hamilton, an Arab American of Lebanese ancestry, can discuss some of the major concerns of Arab Americans during this crisis, how Arabs are portrayed in U.S. popular culture and common stereotypes of Muslims, Arabs and the Middle East.
Richard Herrmann, professor of political science. Phone: (614) 292-9843; E-mail: Herrmann.1@osu.edu
· Herrmann is an expert on U.S. foreign policy and Middle East politics. He has done work on relations in the Persian Gulf area, the role of Islam in politics, and relations between Arabs and Persians and between Pakistan and India. He has also studied both American and Russian relations with Islamic countries. This past year, he has launched a new project on security in Asia, which includes collaboration with universities in Iran, Pakistan, India, China, South Korea, and Japan.
Michael Hogan, professor of history and dean of the College of Humanities. Phone : (614) 292-1882; E-mail: Hogan.5@osu.edu
· Hogan is a specialist in modern U.S. diplomatic history and national security studies. He can discuss foreign policy and national security issues as they relate to the terrorist attack and the American response.
Margaret Mills, professor and chair of the Department of Near East Languages and Cultures. Phone: (614) 292-7136; E-mail: Mills.186@osu.edu
· A scholar who has lived in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iran, and conducted additional research in south and central Asia, Mills is an expert in the cultural politics of Afghanistan and surrounding nations. She says many of the problems facing the United States today might have been mitigated with a Marshall Plan-style aid package to help stabilize Afghanistan and rebuild civil society after the Soviet Union left that nation. Mills advises against any U.S. military presence in the nation Instead, she says the country might be moved away from the Taliban with major food and medicine aid delivered to designated no-fire zones by a regional, U.N. or OIC-based coalition. She also cites the need for the formation of a global coalition of support that would address the grievances that provide a social base for rage and terror to operate
Alam Payind, director of the Middle East Studies Center at Ohio State, Phone: (614) 688-4321; E-mail: Payind.1@osu.edu
· Payind is familiar with the culture, politics and religions of the Middle East and Afghanistan in particular. An Afghan native, Payind can speak about the opinions of leaders and citizens in the region concerning relations with the United States and the possibility of war. He also can discuss personal security issues for people of Arab descent living or studying in the United States.
###