UMaine School to Host Experts on the Origins of Terrorism
Contact: Joe Carr at (207) 581-3571
ORONO — Two internationally acclaimed experts on U.S. foreign policy and international relations will visit the University of Maine on Monday, March 17, to discuss issues related to terrorism and political extremism.
Ambassador Mark Bellamy, senior fellow in residence in the Center for Strategic and International Studies’ Africa and International Security Programs, will share his perspectives based on expertise in Africa. Bruce Riedel, senior policy fellow at the Saban Center for Middle East Policy at the Brookings Institution, will focus on concerns related to Pakistan.
Bellamy and Riedel will make two presentations on Monday. They will address “The Roots of Terrorism: From the Horn of Africa to Pakistan,” from 4:30-6 p.m. at Buchanan Alumni House. They will also give a talk to a group of area high school students at 1 p.m. in Room 120 Little Hall. Both events will be streamed on the Internet at http://www.umaine.edu/news/spiaconference/.
Bellamy and Riedel are both members of the UMaine School of Policy and International Affairs (SPIA) board of advisors. That school will host the Monday visit.
“These are, quite literally, two of the world’s leading experts on Africa and the Middle East, with extensive knowledge of and practical experience with radicalism,” says John Mahon, SPIA’s director and dean of UMaine’s College of Business, Public Policy and Health. “They are also at the forefront of current thinking about U.S. foreign policy regarding Africa and the Middle East and what approaches might be taken to deal with terrorism and radicalism.”
Bellamy will address questions that explore the roots of violence and terrorism, whether economic development contributes to security and stability, and how the international community can best address problems of terrorism in Africa. Riedel just returned from trip to Pakistan, and is an internationally recognized expert on South Asia. He will discuss causes of violent extremism, regional and ethnic fissures, the measures necessary to tackle these problems, and ways in which the international community should engage with Pakistan.
Bellamy was the U.S. Ambassador to Kenya from 2003-2006. Since retiring from the Foreign Service late last year, he has also been a senior administrator at the National Defense University. Riedel has served as a senior advisor to three U.S. presidents, focusing on Middle East and South Asian issues. Both are frequently called upon to comment on international issues by leading news organizations.
UMaine established SPIA in January, 2007. It brings new organizational structure to UMaine’s academic work related to policy issues and international affairs. In its first 14 months, SPIA has been involved in collaborative scholarly arrangements with the National Defense University, the Naval Postgraduate School and Emirates Center for Strategic Studies and Research. Twenty-one UMaine professors are currently SPIA cooperating faculty members, and the school has more than a dozen cooperating scholars, representing academic and government institutions in the U.S., Europe and the Middle East.
SPIA also works with a community outreach forum called the Bangor Foreign Policy Forum, which brings high-level speakers to the area, raising the level of discourse about issues of international importance.