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• U.S. Muslims Hope for Better Days After Bin Laden

  May 2, 2011
  "Muslims ... continue to be victims in the growth of Islamophobia here, so the taking out of bin Laden, certainly at a symbolic level, in the short-term, takes the pressure off."

  John Esposito, professor in the School of Foreign Service and director of the Prince Alwaleed bin Talal Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding, on the significance of Osama bin Laden's death to American Muslims.

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  Source: Reuters

• Bin Laden's Death Shatters Conventional Wisdom

  May 2, 2011
  "The triumphal news of bin Laden’s killing yesterday has also called into question—if not shattered—much of the conventional wisdom about al-Qaeda’s leader and the movement he founded. First, the assumption was that he was hiding in a cave in some isolated mountain range, cut off equally from his supporters and from the creature comforts that make life as a fugitive more bearable. Yet we learn that he’s been living a stone’s throw from the Pakistani capital, both in comfort and relative anonymity."

  Bruce Hoffman, professor of peace and security studies, on what the location of bin Laden's hideout means.

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  Source: The National Interest

• Al-Qaida After Osama

  May 2, 2011
  "The al-Qaida core, the relatively small number of skilled and dedicated fighters who swore loyalty to bin Laden, remains alive and active, but it has been hit hard in recent years. Bin Laden’s death is the most significant blow it has suffered, but in the last two years, near-constant drone strikes have hammered at the organization in Pakistan, taking out many important lieutenants at a pace that made them difficult to replace with experienced and skilled leaders."

  Daniel Byman, professor of security studies, on the future of al-Qaida following the death of Osama bin Laden.

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  Source: Slate

• Is Bin Laden's Death A Blow To Al-Qaida's Network?

  May 2, 2011
  "Al-Qaida has a formal succession plan. Ayman Zawahiri is going to take the reins. And bin Laden has prepared for his own death. But having a plan and being prepared in reality are not always the same. And I think this is going to cause significant disarray in the organization."

  Daniel Byman, professor of security studies, on what al-Qaida's plans for succession in the aftermath of Osama bin Laden being killed.

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  Source: NPR

• OBL is Dead, Al Qaeda Isn't

  May 2, 2011
  "The U.S. special forces raid that killed Osama bin Laden in his hideout in Pakistan is a devastating blow to al Qaeda. The terrorist organization and the movement it leads now face a potential leadership void and internal divisions. But the battle is far from over: aggressive U.S. and allied action -- including military, and particularly, intelligence measures -- are necessary to make a bad situation worse for al Qaeda."

  Daniel Byman, professor of security studies, on what is next for the U.S. war on terror.

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  Source: Foreign Policy

• New Test for U.S.-Pakistan Relations

  May 2, 2011
  "At best, the Pakistanis look totally incompetent. At worst, they look completely complicit."

  Christine Fair, assistant professor in the School of Foreign Service, on Pakistan's knowledge of Osama bin Laden's whereabouts.

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  Source: The Wall Street Journal

• Ayman al-Zawahri, Osama Bin Laden’s Deputy, Likely Next Leader of Al-Qaida

  May 2, 2011
  "Al-Zawahri was always bin Laden’s mentor, bin Laden always looked up to him. He spent time in an Egyptian prison, he was tortured. He was a jihadi from the time he was a teenager, he has been fighting his whole life, and that has shaped his world view."

  Bruce Hoffman, professor of peace and security studies, on Osama bin Laden's possible successor Ayman al-Zawahri.

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  Source: The Washington Post

• Osama Bin Laden Is Dead, But Al Qaeda Remains

  May 2, 2011
  "A timely triumph -- especially coming as the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks approaches. After a long wait, the U.S. has made good on the pledge of President Bush nearly a decade ago that the U.S. would get bin Laden dead or alive."

  Bruce Hoffman, professor of peace and security studies, on the death of Osama bin Laden

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  Source: The Huffington Post

• The Death of Osama Bin Laden: End or Turning Point?

  May 2, 2011
  "The death of bin Laden and the political transformations in the Arab world may signal a turning point in contemporary world affairs. The revolutions and calls for reform in the Arab world demonstrate to those still living under oppressive regimes that religious extremism and terrorism are not the only ways to gain freedom from entrenched autocrats."

  John Esposito, university professor in the School of Foreign Service and director of the Prince Alwaleed bin Talal Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding, on the death of Osama bin Laden and the shift in world affairs.

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  Source: The Washington Post

• Clinton: Bin Laden's Death Doesn't End War on Terror

  May 2, 2011
  "Some may see this as an opportunity to steal the limelight. While the risk may go up, the good news is that in the rush to do something, some of these [attacks] may go off half-cocked."

  Bruce Hoffman, professor of peace and security studies, on the possibility of reprisals from terrorists in response to Osama bin Laden's death.

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  Source: USA Today

• The ‘Arab Spring,’ Israel, and the Silence of the Academy

  May 1, 2011
  "The Arab world is experiencing a series of convulsions resulting in the quotidian slaughter of citizens in Syria, Yemen, Bahrain, Libya and elsewhere. Yet, the reaction on American college campuses is comparatively muted. Muted compared to what, you ask? Compared to the tragic shedding of one life in the Israeli/Palestinian conflict."

  Jacques Berlinerbrau, associate professor of Jewish civilization, wrote an op-ed on the discussions college students are having regarding violence in the Middle East.

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  Source: The Chronicle of Higher Education

• The Independents: Voters Without a Clue?

  April 26, 2011
  "No group in American politics gets more respect than independent voters. Pundits and reporters probe what these allegedly moderate citizens think about this issue and that candidate, major party strategists seek the golden mean of messaging that will attract independents to their camp and/or alienate them from the opposing one. Presidential nominees and aides struggle to come up with phrases and settings that will soothe or excite them. But what if millions of independents are really just a confused and clueless horde, whose interest in politics veers between the episodic and the non-existent?"

  Michael Kazin, professor of history, on mid-April poll of independent voters.

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  Source: CBS News

• Finance Minister Disputes Criticism of Bahrain Regime

  April 26, 2011
  "The public relations offices of the al-Khalifas, right now in Washington, as we speak, are distributing all manners of information saying that Iran was behind all of this [the turmoil in Bahrain]. And, that this is a conspiracy that has been going on for 20-30 years. The fact is, my own experience, anyway, tells me that the Shi'a feel Bahraini. They don't feel Iranian. They don't really like Iran."

  Jean-Francois Seznec, visiting associate professor in the Center for Contemporary Arab Studies, on the recent uprisings in Bahrain.

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  Source: Voice of America

• Former President Jimmy Carter Arrived in North Korea Amid Hope for Six-Party Talks

  April 26, 2011
  "It will be interesting if he meets the son. [That would be] another way the North could use the visit of an ex-president to validate the succession."

  Victor Cha, director of Asian studies and the D.S. Song-Korea Foundation Chair in Asian Studies and Government, on the visit to North Korea by former U.S. President Carter.

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  Source: Christian Science Monitor

• Why Men Love Gov. Christie But Women Not So Much

  April 24, 2011
  "Without a doubt, women are more offended by belligerent language. Guys might be more likely to pay less attention to it. They’d say, 'Aw, it’s just words.';"

  Deborah Tannen, university professor of linguistics, on the language of New Jersey Gov.Chris Christie.

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  Source: The (Newark, N.J.) Star-Ledger