If President Barack Obama and Secretary of State Hilary Clinton really want to change the way Americans respond to global terrorism, the first step would be to better understand the mindset of those who believe that dying in a terrorist attack is a right and just choice.
The author of this bold assertion, Alice LoCicero, will be at the Beverly Public Library on Wednesday, February 25 at 7:00 PM to discuss a new book she has co-authored, Creating Young Martyrs: Conditions That Make Dying in a Terrorist Attack Seem Like a Good Idea (Praeger Security International, 2008). In addition to being the current Chair of Social Sciences at Endicott College, LoCicero is also past president and cofounder of the Society of Terrorism Research. She traveled to Sri Lanka to research the conditions and experiences of children vulnerable to being recruited—or coerced—to become child soldiers in militia engaged in terrorist acts in one of the world’s deadliest ongoing civil wars. Her findings led her to question the dominant approach of the War on Terrorism since 9/11, with the U.S. seemingly committed to “kill or detain enough terrorists that the threat will be reduced” in the Middle East and other global hot spots.
Creating Young Martyrs challenges many myths and assumptions about young suicide bombers and other terrorists, and presents several possible alternatives to U.S. policies and public stereotypes that have been in place since 9/11 in regard to international terrorists and terrorism. Dr. LoCicero will also discuss how citizens can become involved in fostering new government policy.
This program is free and open to the public. The library is handicapped accessible. Light refreshments will be served. For more information, please contact Anna Langstaff at langstaff@noblenet.org or 978-921-6062.
Author Visit on February 25
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