AU in the News

Showcasing AU programs, professors, students and alumni in the news
November 17 - 30, 2007

AU Professors on WAMU
American University Professors Cathy Schneider, associate professor at the School of International Service, and Andrew Lewis, assistant professor of history, were both featured on the WAMU's Kojo Nnamdi Show. Professor Schneider discussed the rioting in France and the country’s ethnic and economic flaws on November 29, while Professor Lewis gave listeners a history lesson on the background of Thanksgiving on November 20.

Anthropologists at War?
“Anthropologists are being used as new military tools - weapons, as some proponents describe them - to directly and indirectly assist counterinsurgency operations and troops whose job requires taking human lives,” David Vine, an assistant professor of anthropology at American University, wrote in his opinion piece for The Chronicle of Higher Education about the U.S. military recruiting anthropologists to provide analysis on terrain mapping. “Providing cultural-sensitivity training in a classroom or briefing peacekeepers charged with preventing violence and protecting civilians is one thing,” he said. “But when an anthropologist steps onto the battlefield to assist soldiers at war, occupying another nation, engaged in regular, active, lethal combat operations, a line has been crossed.” (11/26/07)

Danger in Pakistani Madrasahs?
With growing tension in Pakistan, Good Morning America turned to American University Islamic Studies professor Akbar Ahmed for insight into the threat posed by many radical Madrasahs, Islamic religious schools, in the country. "Madrasahs have become synonymous with poor education," said Ahmed. "[They are} producing students with a very limited view of the world sometimes with very strange ideas, sometimes with very fanatical ideas, very aggressive ideas."

Fulfilling or Failing at Diplomatic Destiny
With her tenure as Secretary of State nearly over, Condoleeza Rice could create her foreign policy legacy or face a final failure when she hosts an upcoming conference aimed at committing Israel and the Palestinians to intensive negotiations toward establishing an independent Palestinian state alongside Israel. Gordon Adams, a professor of international relations at American University, offered the Associated Press his take on her record so far. “How's she doing? Well, we haven't got peace between Israel and the Palestinians yet, and we're still in Iraq and we're still in Afghanistan and the Pakistan government is still teetering on the edge,” Adams said . “The one single point of progress and it's not a success yet is North Korea.” (11/19/07)
This story was picked up by more than 80 news outlets.

Getting out the Young Vote
What do college students really think about the 2008 election? An American University School of Communication project conducted in collaboration with washingtonpost.com looked into it and found that most students interviewed said they intend to vote, are rooting for Barack Obama, and that the most important issues are Iraq, the war, the environment, privacy and healthcare. (11/29/07)

Other Congress Causes
There are more than 200 congressional member organizations. With so many caucuses to choose from, there should be something for everyone, The Hill reports. According to Susan Webb Hammond, a political science professor at American University and author of Congressional Caucuses in National Policy Making, there are many caucuses because there are many issues, including those that have been brought up that did not previously exist, such as piracy prevention. (11/27/07)

Trent Lott resigns
Although Senator Trent Lott’s resignation announcement on Monday may have contributed to the growing Republican exodus from Congress, it may have also strengthened his post-Senate job prospects, reports The New York Times. By retiring before the end of the year, he would be avoiding new rules forcing senators to wait two years instead of one before lobbying former colleagues, said James A. Thurber, director of the Center for Presidential and Congressional Studies at American University. “The new two-year cooling off period is encouraging people who have been around for a long time, especially in the minority, to leave,” he said. “They know that the golden window of opportunity is immediate.” (11/26/07)

Women at the Helm
With Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner becoming the president-elect of Argentina, and Michelle Bachelet being Chile’s first female president, experts believe that more women are appearing in high office worldwide due to the increase in their political involvement over the past few decades, reports Voice of America. “Since the development of the modern women's rights movement, the global women's movement, and changes in gender relations since the mid 1960s, 1970s, we're seeing more women having careers in public life,” said Sarah Brewer of American University's Women and Politics Institute. (11/20/07)

Shopping with Caution
This holiday season, many Americans are approaching their holiday shopping with extra caution due to widespread toy recall notices stemming from flaws in foreign manufacturing, the New Straits Times reports. “When you have 30 million products being recalled within a couple of months, people are justifiably concerned,” said Andrew Popper, product liability expert and American University law professor. “Now, in addition to worrying that something is too small, you also need to look at what it is and where it was made. Any person, parent or otherwise, who is buying a product not manufactured in the US really is well advised to at least look at the label, try to figure out where it's from and exercise some level of reasonable caution,” (11/23/07)

2009
Mar	6	13	20	27
Feb	6	13	20	27
Jan	4	9	16	23	30
2008
Dec	5	12	19
Nov	7	14	21
Oct	3	10	17	24	31
Sept	5	12	19	26
Aug	1	8	15	29
July	4	11	18	25
June	6	13	20	27
May	2	9	16	23
Apr	4	11	18	25
Mar	7	21	28
Feb	1	8	15	22	29
Jan	4	11	18	25
2007
Dec	7	14	21
Nov	2	9	16		30
Oct	5	12	19	26
Sept	7	14	21	28
Aug	3	10	17	24	31
July	31
June	30
Feb	2	9
Jan	5	12	19	26