What am I doing?
Although I have not received an official word yet from the directors of the program I am participating in, I am going to assume that I am still going to Israel. Some of you might ask: Why would you go to Israel? Well, I could take that question to have many meanings, but I will address only two - why am I going to Israel in general irrespective of regional conditions, and why am I even considering going to Israel for any reason whatsoever considering the current regional conditions. As someone asked me, "Don't you know that they're having a war over there?"
First, why am I going to Israel in general? I am participating in the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies Undergraduate Fellowship on Terrorism. The following is the description of the program from the FDD website.
"The course of study in Tel Aviv features several days of lectures from experts in the field of terrorism who will focus on issues relating to the threat that terrorism poses to democracies around the world. FDD Fellows will have an opportunity to hear from academics, politicians, intelligence and military officials, and diplomats from Israel, Jordan, India, Turkey and the United States...
"In Israel, participants also travel to border zones, visit military and police facilities, and engage in hands-on, live-fire exercises to learn more about the practical realities of combating terrorists."
Doesn't that sound exciting? I'm excited about it. Here is an article about the Fellowship from the UGA website as well.
Now, why would I even consider going to Israel now? First, the decision to go does not lie with me. I am trusting FDD to make that decision, and all of the participants have been assured that our safety is of primary importance. They have connections with some very important people in the Israeli Defense Force and the Israeli government. Additionally, the know people in the US government, particularly in the State Department. From all of these sources they can get first-hand information regarding the situation in Israel from which they can make a much more informed decision regarding the safety of this trip. Bottom line, FDD knows much more about the situation than I do, and if they are going to take me, I trust them, and I am going to go.
Secondly, I really want to go. I am fascinated the the subject of terrorism (as a clarification, I am not fascinated by the practice of terrorism but by what surrounds it such as the underlying causes, the decision-making process, and ultimately, how to combat it), and as a student of this subject, I see going to Israel at the present moment as an incredible opportunity to see first-hand (as I have titled the blog, Up Close and Personal) what is really going on in the Middle East. That having been said, I do value my life more than my education, so I am only going to go if FDD considers it safe enough to bring me.
I hope this clears some things up. 'Til next time, Peace in the Middle East!
First, why am I going to Israel in general? I am participating in the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies Undergraduate Fellowship on Terrorism. The following is the description of the program from the FDD website.
"The course of study in Tel Aviv features several days of lectures from experts in the field of terrorism who will focus on issues relating to the threat that terrorism poses to democracies around the world. FDD Fellows will have an opportunity to hear from academics, politicians, intelligence and military officials, and diplomats from Israel, Jordan, India, Turkey and the United States...
"In Israel, participants also travel to border zones, visit military and police facilities, and engage in hands-on, live-fire exercises to learn more about the practical realities of combating terrorists."
Doesn't that sound exciting? I'm excited about it. Here is an article about the Fellowship from the UGA website as well.
Now, why would I even consider going to Israel now? First, the decision to go does not lie with me. I am trusting FDD to make that decision, and all of the participants have been assured that our safety is of primary importance. They have connections with some very important people in the Israeli Defense Force and the Israeli government. Additionally, the know people in the US government, particularly in the State Department. From all of these sources they can get first-hand information regarding the situation in Israel from which they can make a much more informed decision regarding the safety of this trip. Bottom line, FDD knows much more about the situation than I do, and if they are going to take me, I trust them, and I am going to go.
Secondly, I really want to go. I am fascinated the the subject of terrorism (as a clarification, I am not fascinated by the practice of terrorism but by what surrounds it such as the underlying causes, the decision-making process, and ultimately, how to combat it), and as a student of this subject, I see going to Israel at the present moment as an incredible opportunity to see first-hand (as I have titled the blog, Up Close and Personal) what is really going on in the Middle East. That having been said, I do value my life more than my education, so I am only going to go if FDD considers it safe enough to bring me.
I hope this clears some things up. 'Til next time, Peace in the Middle East!
posted by Patrick at 10:45 AM
1 Comments:
I've been watching the news every day. You are and will, of course, be in my thoughts and prayers. Miss you!
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